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THE 
EARLY    AND    LATER 


WITH 


AUTHENTIC  FACTS  IN  REGARD 

TO  ITS 

DEVELOPMENT  IN  WESTERN  PENNSYLVANIA, 


The  Oil  Fields  of  Europe  and  America.    Gas  Wells.    Spiritual  Wells.    Oil  Well  Shafts.     Petroleum  Products. 

Oil  Companies.    Pipe  Line  Statistics.    Early  Modes  of  Transportation.     Flowing  Wells  of  1861, 

to  1864.    Pit  Hole  in  1865.    The  Lubricating  Oil  District,  &c.    Also,  Statistics  of  Product, 

Export,  and  Consumption,  with  prices  of  Oil  from  1859,  to  1872,  &c.,  &c. 


THE  PARKERS'  AND  BUTLER  COUNTY  OIL  FIELDS. 


ALSO,  LIFE    SKETCHES    OF 


PIONEER  AND  PROMINENT  OPERATORS, 

WITH  THE 

REFINING  CAPACITY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


BY  J.  T. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

JAS.  B.  RODGERS  CO.,  PRINTERS,  52  &  54  NORTH  SIXTH  ST. 

1873. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  on  the   2gth  day  of   September,  1873,  by 

J.  T.  HENRY,  Titusville,  Pa. 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


eilicatanr, 


TO 


WILLIAM    H.    ABBOTT, 


In  submitting  to  a  discerning,  yet  indulgent  public,  this  volume,  relating 
to  the  History  of  Petroleum,  with  Life  Sketches,  of  many  of  the  prominent 
men  in  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region,  identified  therewith,  I  beg  to  associate 
with  my  unpretending  labors,  your  own  honored  name,  known  and  acknowledged 
as  that  of  an  enterprising  business  man,  a  public-spirited  citizen,  a  high- 
toned  Christian  gentleman.  Your  characteristic  reserve,  I  know,  would  prompt 
you  to  shrink  from  such  conspicuous  mention ;  but  the  public  voice  pronounces 
you  one  of  the  worthiest  members  of  the  community,  and  I  cannot  deny 
myself  the  privilege  of  paying  this  dedicatory  tribute  to  one  who  has  sustained 
my  enterprise  with  never-failing  sympathy  and  encouragement. 

J.  T.  HENRY. 


398686 


PREFACE. 


IN  the  preparation  of  this  work,  the  end  and  aim  has  been,  to 
supply  some  needed  historical  data  of  the  discovery  of  PETEOLEUM 
OIL,  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia,  Ohio,  and  at  other 
points  in  the  United  States  and  Canadas.  The  Pennsylvania  Oil 
Region  is  by  far  the  largest  field,  and  produces  eight-tenths  of  all 
the  Petroleum,  now  so  largely  entering  into  the  commerce  of-  the 
commonwealth,  and  of  the  nation,  and  has  surely  come  to  be  an  in- 
dispensable benefaction  to  millions  of  households,  in  every  civilized 
nation  upon  the  globe.  To  the  early  and  later  developments  in 
this  section,  therefore,  this  work  is  mainly  devoted.  While  this 
portion  of  its  pages  is  deemed  to  be  full  and  complete,  and,  we  may 
add,  reliably  so,  a  sufficiently  elaborate  account  of  other  Oil  Fields 
upon  this  continent,  and  throughout  the  old  world  are -given,  and 
from  the  best  sources  attainable.  In  this  respect  no  pains  have 
been  spared  to  render  it  complete  and  authentic  in  all  the  details 

treated  of. 
i 
The  STATISTICAL  pages  of  the  work,  though  not  eT.aborate,  are 

regarded  as  full  enough  for  the  purposes  of  an  intelligent  under- 
standing of  the  magnitude  of  the  industry.  Such  as  we  give,  are 
known  to  be  accurate.  The  Refining  capacity  of  the  more  import- 
ant refining  centres  of  the  United  States,  except  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  may  be  relied  upon  as  authentic. 


6  PREFACE. 

The  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES,  which  make  up  so  important  a 
part  of  the  work,  are  from  among  the  representative  men  of  the 
Region, — and  they  furnish,  individually  and  collectively,  very 
many  interesting  and  valuable  facts,  with  reference  to  develop- 
ments, early  and  late,  in  the  Oil  Region  of  Pennsylvania,  never 
before  given  to  the  public  in  an  authentic  form. 

And  here  we  may  as  well  refer  to  the  fact  that  no  "  sketches  " 
are  given  of  operators  at  Petroleum  Centre,  Columbia,  Tarr  Farm, 
Rouseville,  Oil  City,  President,  and  but  one  at  Franklin.  As 
"  brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit,"  we  may  add — the  neglect  is  not  ours. 

While  we  have,  in  the  list  of  biographies  given,  made  a  fair 
showing  of  the  representative  men  of  the  Oil  Region  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,  we  have  not  exhausted  this  portion  of  our  subject. 
There  are  scores  of  men  connected,  in  one  way  and  another,  with 
this  great  mining  industry,  whose  history,  and  whose  developments 
as  producers,  would  add  interest  to  our  effort,  and  lustre  to  their 
names, — but  we  have  been  unable,  in  many  cases,  to  obtain  per- 
mission thus  to  do  justice  to  them.  We  may  do  tips  in  future  edi- 
tions of  the  work. 

Our  acknowledgments  are  due  to  JAMES  MCCARTY,  of  Oil 
City,  and  to  Mr.  RICHARD  LINX,  formerly  of  The  Petroleum 
Monthly,  for  valuable  aid  in  the  preparation  of  the  work, — and  to 
Mr.  CARBUTT,  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  beautiful  photographic  il- 
lustrations that  accompany  its  pages,  especially  in  the  department 
of  Biographies, — and  to  JAS.  B.  RODGERS  Co.,  for  the  superior  ex- 
cellence of  the  mechanical  and  typographical  part  of  the  work. 

TITUSVILLE,  October  20th,  1873. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY  NOTES  OF  PETROLEUM— PETROLEUM  SPRINGS 9 

Gas  and  Salt  Wells ,  •>! 

Fossil  Oil 05 

Reflections 27 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  VALUE  OF  PETROLEUM 29 

Prof.  Silliman's  Paper  on  the  Subject 3.? 

Properties  of  Distilled  Oils 44 

Use  for  Gas-making 45 

Use  of  Naphtha  for  Illumination 49 

Photometric  Experiments : 51 

CHAPTER  III. 

EARLY  AND  INTERESTING  FACTS. 

Petroleum  as  a  Medicinal  Agent — KIER'S  announcement  in  1849 50 

The  First  Developments  at  Titusville 60 

CHAPTER  IV. 

REAL  ESTATE  TRANSACTIONS  ON  OIL  CREEK 69 

Organization  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company 70 

CHAPTER  V. 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  DEVELOPMENTS  ON  OIL  CREEK 81 

Col.  E.  L.  DRAKE  connects  himself  with  the  Enterprise 86 

Completion  of  the  "Drake  Well," 94 

CHAPTER  VI. 

CONTINUANCE  OF  DEVELOPMENTS  ALONG  OIL  CREEK 95 

The  Second  Well  put  down— "The  Burnsdall" 95 

General  Review  of  Early  Operations <j6 

The  ''South  Improvement  Company" 110 


GENERAL  SUMMARY. 

THE  OIL  FIELDS  OF  AMERICA. 

West  Virginia  and  Ohio 113 

Prof.  Lesley's  Report 116 

Prof.  W.  F.  Roberts'  Report 118 

Kentucky  and  Tennessee 121 

Oil  Region  of  Indiana .' 125 

Oil  Region  of  California 127 

THE  CANADA  OIL  FIELDS. 

First  Discovery  in  Enniskillen *v • 129 

Shaw  and  his  First  Operations .\ 130 

Subsequent  Developments  in  Canada \.. 132 

FOREIGN  OIL  FIELDS. 

South  America— Peru,  Ecuador,  Bolivia,  Chili— West  India  Islands— The  Car- 
pathian Oil  Field— Burmah— Punjaub,  India— China— Japan— Alsace— Hanover- 
Italy — New  Zealand — Nova  Scotia — Caucasian  Oil  Region — Scientific  Experi- 
ments—Shale Oil  Business  of  Europe % 140-179 

GEOLOGICAL. 

The  Oil  Fields  of  Pennsylvania,  &c., 181 

Theories  in  regard  to  Petroleum 182 

HISTORICAL  DATA, 

Petroleum  Products— S.  DANA  HATES I86 

7 


CONTENTS. 


GAS  WELLS,  Ac. 

Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  New  York,  Kentucky, 200 

Remarkable  Gas  Well  at  Fairview,  Pa., 206 

Newton  Gas  Well  at  Titusville, 208 

Gas  Walls  at  East  Sandy 210 

Phenomena  of  Oil  Wells 211 

Salt  Water  in  Wells 214 

Locating  Wells  by  Spirit  Influence 215 

Phenomena  with  an  explanation 218 

Cost  of  Wells 219 

Oil  Shafts  and  Deep  Wells 222 

EARLY  FLOWING  WELLS. 

From  1860  to  1865 224 

Pit  Hole  in  1865 235 

First  Flowing  Well  and  Oldest  Well  in  the  Region 241 

VARIETIES  OF  PETROLEUM. 

The  Franklin  Lubricating  Oil  Region 244 

Drilling  Oil  Wells 248 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TORPEDO. 

The  Patent,  and  First  Experiments 251 

Results  in  First  Thirty-eight  Wells 252 

OIL  WELL  RECORDS. 

Wells  at  Brady's  Bend,  &c 255 

Tabular  Statement  of  "Sands,"  &c 255 

OIL  COMPANIES 

The  Economite  Society 260 

Sage  Run  Oil  Field 265 

The  Reno  Oil  Company 267 

The  Octave  Oil  Company 270 

The  Colorado  Oil  District 272 

The  Columbia  Oil  Company 275 

The  Oil  Market  from  1859  to  1872 277 

Oil  Brokerage,  &c 279 

OIL  PIPE  LINES. 

Their  Extent  in  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region 283 

The  Lower  District  Lines 284 

Early  and  Later  Modes  of  Transportation 286 

THE  LOWER  OIL  FIELDS. 

St.  Petersburg,  Foxburg,  Parker's,  and  Butler  County 201 

Principal  Producers,  and  the  Modoc  District, 296 

The  Fourth  Sand  Rock 304 

STATISTICAL  INFORMATION, ,.  305 

Exports  from  New  York  311 ;  all  other  ports 312 

Number  of  Wells  drilling  at  various  dates, 314 

STATISTICS  OF  REFINING.    "The  Creek," ,.  315 

New  York  and  vicinity  316 ;  Cleveland  317;  Pittsburgh  318 ;  Philadelphia  318: 
Baltimore  319 ;  Erie  320;  all  others  321. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

Col.  E.  L.  Drake  323;  Cant.  A.  B.  Funk  331 ;  Henry  R.  Rouse  335;  George  H.  Bissell  346: 
Charles  Hyde  351 ;  William  H.  Abbott  360;  Orange  Noble  375;  Dr.  F.  B,  Brewer  393; 
John  Fertig  397;  John  W.  Hammond  403;  Fertig  <fe  Hammond  412;  Dr.  W.  B  Ro- 
berts 417 ;  Samuel  Q.  Brown  426;  J.  L.  Grandin  431 ;  Adnah  Neyhart  440 ;  E.  B.  Gran- 
din  457;  S.  D.  Karns  4(59;  C.  D.  Angell  482;  A.  D.  Atkinson  494;  John  L.  McKinney 
503;  Frank  W.  Andrews  512;  Henry  Harley  526;  Col.  R.  B.  Allen  535;  Col.  E.  A  L 
Roberts  540 ;  Marcus  Brownson  546 ;  John  C.  Bryan  556 ;  George  H.  Dimick  565 ;  Geo 
H.  Nesbitt  573;  William  D.  Robinson  579;  James  S.  McCray  582. 

CITIES  AND  TOWNS 587 

THE  LOWER  OIL  FIELDS 593 


EARLY  AND   LATER 

HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


CHAPTER    I. 

EARLY  NOTES  OF  PETROLEUM. PETROLEUM  SPRINGS. 

• 

T17HILE  the  history  of  Petroleum  in  America  prior  to 
developments  brought  about  by  artesian  boring, 
will  probably  be  accounted  of  little  practical  value,  it  is 
apprehended  that  a  work  of  this  sort  overlooking  it  would 
be  incomplete. 

In  Europe  and  Asia  it  has  been  an  object  of  some  com- 
mercial value  for  centuries,  and  there  is  good  reason  to 
believe  that  it  has  been  known  and  used  since  the  earliest 
ages  of  the  world. 

It  is  impossible  to  go  back  to  the  time  when  petroleum 
was  first  discovered.  From  its  frequent  occurrence  in  the 
form  of  springs  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  it  is  evident 
that  it  has  always  been  known — certainly  more  than  four 
thousand  years. 

Layard  and  Botta,  in  their  discoveries  at  Nineveh,  ad- 
duce positive  evidence  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  ancient 
city  had  knowledge  of  the  existence  and  use  of  petroleum. 
In  building  the  city,  an  asphal tic  mortar  ("slime"  accord- 
ing to  the  Old  Testament,)  was  employed,  the  asphalt  for 
which  was  a  partially  evaporated  petroleum.  That  used 
at  Babylon  was  obtained  from  the  Springs  of  Is,  on  the 
Euphrates,  which,  at  a  later  date,  attracted  the  attention 
of  Alexander,  of  Trajan,  and  of  Julian ;  they,  even  to  this 
day,  supply  the  neighboring  villages  with  oil. 

9 


10      c\  I  !  i'  i  ,V  -:  "-  *  ;  mfeoJEto  OF  PETROLEUM. 


Herodotus,  500  years  before  Christ,  spoke  of  the  oil 
wells  of  Zante  ;  and  Pliny  and  Dioscorides  described  the 
oil  of  Agrigenturn,  which  was  used  in  lamps  under  the 
name  of  "  Sicilian  Oil." 

The  wells  of  Amiano,  on  the  banks  of  the  Taro,  were 
formerly  used  for  lighting  the  City  of  Genoa.* 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  at  some  former  period  in 
the  history  of  the  American  continent,  the  existence  and 
uses  of  petroleum  had  been  better  understood  than  they 
were  for  some  centuries  before  the  recent  artesian  devel- 
opments. The  numerous  pits,  until  recently,  and  perhaps 
even  still  to  be  seen  along  the  valley  of  Oil  Creek,  cribbed 
with  roughly  hewn  timber,  but  nearly  hidden  by  the  rub- 
bish of  ages,  indicate  a  development  comparatively  exten- 
sive. Trees  were  found  growing  in  the  centre  of  some  of 
these  pits,  which,  we  are  told,  on  the  evidence  of  the  con- 
centric circles  in  the  wood,  were  shown  to  be  the  growth 
of  centuries.  Many  circumstances  concur  in  referring 
these  excavations  to  a  period  of  time,  and  to  a  race  of 
people,  who  occupied  the  country  prior  to  the  advent  of 
those  aborigines,  found  here  by  our  Latin  or  Saxon  ances- 
tors. They  were  probably  the  work  of  that  mysterious 
people  who  left  the  traces  of  their  rude  civilization  in  the 
copper  mines  about  Lake  Superior  and  the  mounds  of  the 
South-West. 

When  we  consider  how  easily,  partially  nomadic  races, 
of  which  they  probably  were,  degenerate,  and  how  sud- 
denly they  are  sometimes  extinguished,  this  disposition  of 
the  matter  seems  plausible;  but  as  all  that  is  more  within 
the  sphere  of  the  arcbaBologist  than  the  historian  of  a  mo- 
dern industry,  we  have  passed  it  by  without  research. 

There  is  a  tradition  in  Yenango  Co.,  Pa.,  that  the  oil 
springs  on  Oil  Creek  formed  a  part  of  the  religious  cere- 

*  In  the  body  of  this  work  we  devote  a  number  of  chapters  to  foreign  oil  fields. 


EARLY   NOTES   OF   PETROLEUM — PETROLEUM   SPRINGS.         11 

mony  of  the  Seneea  Indians,  who  formerly  lived  on  these 
wild  hills.  The  Aborigines  dipped  it  from  their  wells  and 
mixed  it  with  their  war-paint,  which  is  said  to  have  given 
them  a  hideous  appearance,  varnishing  their  faces,  as  it 
were,  and  enabled  them  to  retain  the  paint  for  a  long 
time,  and  to  keep  their  skin  entirely  impervious  to  water. 
The  uses  of  this  oil  for  their  religious  worship  is  spoken 
of  by  the  French  commander  of  Fort  Duquesne,  in  the 
year  1750.  "  I  would  desire,"  writes  the  commandant  to 
his  Excellency,  General  Montcalm,  "  to  assure  you  that 
this  is  a  most  delightful  land.  Some  of  the  most  astonish- 
ing natural  wonders  have  been  discovered  by  our  people." 
"  While  descending  the  Allegany,  fifteen  leagues  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Connewango,  and  three  above  the  Ve- 
nango,  we  were  invited  by  the  chief  of  the  Senecas  to  at- 
tend a  religious  ceremony  of  his  tribe.  We  landed,  and 
drew  up  our  canoes  on  a  point  where  a  small  stream  en- 
tered the  river.  The  tribe  appeared  unusually  solemn. 
We  marched  up  the  stream  about  half  a  league,  where  the 
company,  a  large  band  it  appeared,  had  arrived  some  days 
before  us.  Gigantic  hills  begirt  us  on  every  side.  The 
scene  was  really  sublime.  The  great  chief  then  recited 
the  conquests  and  heroism  of  their  ancestors.  The  surface 
of  the  stream  was  covered  with  a  thick  scum,  which, 
upon  applying  a  torch  at  a  given  signal,  burst  into  a 
complete  conflagration.  At  the  sight  of  the  flames,  the 
Indians  gave  forth  the  triumphant  shout  that  made  the 
hills  and  valleys  re-echo  again.  Here,  then,  is  revived 
the  ancient  fire-worship  of  the  East;  here,  then,  are  the 
children  of  the  Sun."  Tracing  the  course  of  the  French 
commander  down  the  Allegany  river  on  our  present  maps, 
we  find  the  spring  spoken  of,  as  evidently  upon  Oil  Creek, 
and  on  marching  half  a  league  above  that  stream  we  will 
probably  reach  Rouseville,  where  Cherry  Run  flows  into 
Oil  Creek.  The  "  gigantic  hills  "  are  still  here,  and  the 


12  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

"thick  scum"  which  the  Indians  gathered,  and  which 
careful,  prudent  men,  now  guard  against  conflagration, 
flows  into  peaceable  tanks,  and,  instead  of  lighting  up  the 
wilderness  for  exhibitions  of  uncouth  savages,  sends  joy 
and  comfort  into  thousands  of  distant  homes. 

Later  again  we  find  a  most  interesting  account  of  a 
Petroleum  Spring  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  state 
of  New  York  in  the  "American  Journal  of  Science"  for 
1833,  written  by  Prof.  Silliman,  Sr.,  a  man  who  rendered 
early  and  valuable  services  to  the  cause  of  scientific 
investigation  in  this  country.  As  it  contains  some  inter- 
esting reflections  on  the  origin  of  petroleum,  nothing  bet- 
ter can  be  done  than  to  give  it  in  full : 

Notice  of  a  Fountain  of  Petroleum  called  the  OIL  SPRING. 

"  The  Oil  Spring,  as  it  is  called,  is  situated  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  County  of  Allegany,  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  This  county  is  the  third  from  Lake  Erie  on  the 
south  line  of  the  State,  the  counties  of  Cattaraugus  and 
Chautauqua  lying  west,  and  forming  the  southwestern  ter- 
mination of  the  State  of  New  York.  The  Spring  is  very 
near  the  line  which  divides  Allegany  and  Cattaraugus. 

Being  in  the  county  of  Allegany,  I  was  indebted  to 
the  kindness  of  a  friend,  who  on  the  6th  of  September 
took  me  from  Angelica  to  the  Spring.  After  crossing  the 
Genesee  River,  our  ride  was  to  the  town  of  Friendship, 
six  miles ;  then  to  Cuba,  eight  miles ;  and  thence  into 
the  township  of  Hinsdale,  three  and  a  half  miles,  making 
seventeen  and  a  half  miles  from  Belvidere,  the  country-seat 
of  Philip  Church,  Esq.,  and  twenty-one  miles  from  Angelica 
village.  The  place  will  be  found  without  difficulty  by 
taking  a  guide  at  Hicks'  tavern,  which  is  on  the  corner 
of  the  road  to  Cuba  where  it  is  intersected  by  the  road  to 
Warsaw,  two  miles  west  of  Cuba. 

The  last  half  mile  is  in  the  forest:  a  road  is  cut,  for 


EARLY  NOTES  OF  PETROLEUM — PETROLEUM  SPRINGS.    13 

the  greater  part  of  the  way,  through  the  woods ;  but  the 
path  becomes  finally  an  obscure  foot-track  in  which  a 
stranger  without  a  guide  might  easily  lose  his  way,  or  at 
least  fail  of  finding  the  object  of  his  search.  The  country 
is  rather  mountainous;  but  the  road  running  between  the 
ridges  is  very  good,  and  leads  through  a  cultivated  region 
rich  in  soil  and  picturesque  in  scenery.  Its  geological 
character  is  the  same  with  that  which  is  known  to  prevail 
in  this  western  region ;  a  silicious  sandstone,  with  shale, 
and  in  some  places  limestone  is  the  immediate  basis  of 
the  country.  The  sandstone  and  shale  (the  limestone  I 
did  not  see)  lie  in  nearly  horizontal  strata.  The  sand- 
stone is  usually  of  a  light  gray  color,  and  both  it  and  the 
shale  abound  with  entrocites,  encrinites,  corallines,  tere- 
bratula,  and  other  reliquse  characteristic  of  the  secondary 
or  transition  formation.  The  Oil  Spring  or  fountain  rises 
in  the  midst  of  a  marshy  ground.  It  is  a  muddy  and 
dirty  pool  of  about  eighteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  nearly 
circular  in  form. 

There  is  no  outlet  above  ground,  no  stream  flowing  from 
it;  and  it  is  of  course  a  stagnant  water,  with  no  other  cir- 
culation than  that  which  springs  from  the  changes  of 
temperature  and  from  the  gas  and  petroleum  that  are 
constantly  rising  on  the  surface  of  the  pool. 

The  water  is  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  petroleum  or 
mineral  oil,  giving  it  a  foul  appearance  as  if  coated  with 
dirty  molasses,  having  a  yellowish-brown  color.  Every 
part  of  the  water  was  covered  by  this  film,  but  it  had 
nowhere  the  iridescence  which  I  recollect  to  have  observed 
at  St.  Catharine's  well,  a  petroleum  fountain  near  Edin- 
burgh in  Scotland.  There  the  water  was  pellucid,  and  the 
hues  produced  by  the  oil  were  brilliant,  giving  the  whole 
a  beautiful  appearance.  The  difference  is,  however,  easily 
accounted  for.  St.  Catharine's  well  is  a  lively,  flowing 
fountain,  and  the  quantity  of  petroleum  is  only  sufficient 


14  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

to  cover  it  partially,  while  there  is  nothing  to  soil  the 
stream;  in  the  present  instance,  the  stagnation  of  the 
water,  the  comparative  abundance  of  the  petroleum  and 
the  mixture  of  leaves  and  sticks  and  other  productions 
of  a  dense  forest  preclude  any  beautiful  features.  There 
are,  however,  upon  this  water  here  and  there  spots  of 
what  seems  to  be  a  purer  petroleum  probably  recently 
risen,  which  is  free  from  mixture,  and  which  has  a  bright 
brownish-yellow  appearance  —  lively  and  sparkling. 
"Were  the  fountain  covered  entirely  with  this  purer  pro- 
duction, it  would  be  beautiful. 

We  were  informed  that  when  the  fountain  is  frozen, 
there  are  always  some  air  holes  left  open,  and  that  in 
these  the  petroleum  collects  in  unusual  abundance  and 
purity,  having  distinctly  the  beautiful  appearance  which 
has  just  been  mentioned  as  now  occurring  here  and  there 
upon  the  water.  The  cause  of  this  is  easily  understood. 
The  petroleum  being  protected  by  the  ice  from  the  impu- 
rities which  at  other  times  fall  into  it,  escapes  contamina- 
tion, and  being  directed  to  the  air  holes  both  by  its  light- 
ness and  by  the  gas  which  mixes  with  it  collects  there 
in  greater  quantity  and  purity.  All  the  sticks  and  leaves, 
and  the  ground  itself  around  the  fountain,  are  rendered 
more  or  less  adhesive  by  the  petroleum. 

They  collect  the  petroleum  by  skimming  it  like  cream 
from  a  milk-pan.  For  this  purpose  they  use  a  broad,  flat 
board,  made  thin  at  one  edge  like  a  knife.  It  is  moved 
flat  upon  and  just  under  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  is 
soon  covered  by  a  coating  of  petroleum  which  is  so  thick 
and  adhesive  that  it  does  not  fall  off,  but  is  removed  by 
scraping  the  instrument  upon  the  lip  of  a  cup.  It  has 
then  a  very  foul  appearance  like  very  dirty  tar  or  mo- 
lasses ;  but  it  is  purified  by  heating  it,  and  straining  it 
while  hot  through  flannel  or  other  woolen  stuff.  It  is 
used  by  the  people  of  the  vicinity  for  sprains  and  rheu- 


EARLY  NOTES  OF  PETROLEUM— PETROLEUM  SPRINGS.    15 

matism  and  for  sores  upon  their  horses.  It  is  not  mono- 
polized by  any  one,  but  is  carried  away  freely  by  all  who 
care  to  collect  it,  and  for  this  purpose  the  spring  is  fre- 
quently visited.  I  could  not  ascertain  how  much  is 
annually  obtained.  But  the  quantity  is  considerable. 
It  is  said  to  rise  more  abundantly  in  hot  weather  than  in 
cold.  Gas  is  constantly  escaping  through  the  water,  and 
appears  in  bubbles  upon  its  surface.  It  becomes  much 
more  abundant,  and  rises  in  large  volumes  whenever  the 
mud  at  the  bottom  is  stirred  by  a  pole.  We  had  no 
means  of  collecting  or  of  firing  it ;  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  it  is  the  carburetted  hydrogen — probably  of 
the  lighter  kind,  but  rendered  heavier  and  more  odorous 
by  holding  a  large  portion  of  the  petroleum  in  solution. 
Whenever  it  is  examined  we  should  expect,  of  course,  to 
find  carbonic  acid  gas  mingled  with  it,  and  not  improbably 
ozate  or  nitrogen.  We  could  not  learn  that  any  one  had 
attempted  to  fire  the  gas  as  it  rises,  or  to  kindle  the  film 
of  petroleum  upon  the  water.  We  were  told  that  an 
intoxicated  Indian  had  fallen  into  the  pool  and  been 
drowned  many  years  ago,  but  that  his  body  had  never 
been  recovered.  The  story  may  be  true,  and  if  true,  it 
would  be  a  curious  inquiry  whether  the  antiseptic  proper- 
ties of  petroleum  so  well  exemplified  in  the  Egyptian  mum- 
•mies  may  not  have  preserved  his  body  from  putrefaction.  ( 
The  history  of  this  spring  is  not  distinctly  known. 
The  Indians  were  well  acquainted  with  it,  and  a  square 
mile  around  it  is  still  reserved  for  the  Senecas.  As  to 
the  geological  origin  of  the  spring,  it  can  scarcely  admit 
of  a  doubt  that  it  rises  from  beds  of  bituminous  coal  below. 
At  what  depth  we  know  not,  but  probably  far  down. 
The  formation  is  doubtless  connected  with  the  bituminous 
coal  of  the  neighboring  counties  of  Pennsylvania  and  of 
the  west  rather  than  with  the  anthracite  beds  of  the  cen- 
tral parts  of  Pennsylvania. 


16  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

A  Branch  of  the  Oil  Creek  (not  the  same  with  Oil 
Creek  in  Venango  Co.,  Pa. — ED.)  which  flows  into  the 
Allegany  River,  a  principal  tributary  of  the  Ohio,  passes 
near  this  spring,  and  we  crossed  the  rivulet  in  going  to  it. 
There  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  water  that  was  on  its 
way  to  New  Orleans  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  We  had 
just  passed  the  Genesee  which  flows  into  Lake  Ontario, 
and  is  thus  seeking  the  Atlantic  through  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and  a  little  to  the  east,  rise  waters  which  flow  to 
the  Susquehanna  and  the  Chesapeake  Bay;  and  thus  this 
elevated  land,  said  to  be  one  thousand  four  hundred  feet 
above  the  ocean  level,  is  a  grand  rain  shed  for  the  supply 
of  rivers,  seeking  their  exit  through  very  remote  and 
opposite  parts  of  the  continent. 

I  cannot  learn  that  any  considerable  part  of  the  large 
quantity  of  petroleum  used  in  the  Eastern  states  under 
the  name  of  Seneca  Oil  comes  from  the  spring  now  de- 
scribed. I  am  assured  that  its  source  is  about  one  hundred 
miles  from  Pittsburgh  on  the  Oil  Creek,  which  empties  into 
the  Allegany  River,  in  the  township  and  county  of  Ve- 
nango. It  exists  there  in  great  abundance,  and  rises  in 
purity  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  By  dams  enclosing 
certain  parts  of  the  river  or  creek  it  is  prevented  from 
flowing  away,  and  is  absorbed  in  blankets  from  which  it 
is  wrung.  Although  I  have  this  statement  from  an  eye-' 
witness,  (he  mentions  in  a  footline  that  this  eye-witness 
was  a  stage  driver  at  Rochester — ED.),  still  it  would  be  an 
interesting  service,  claiming  a  grateful  acknowledgment, 
if  some  gentleman  in  the  vicinity  of  the  petroleum,  or  at 
Pittsburgh  would  furnish  an  account  of  it  for  this  or  some 
similar  journal.  And  as  there  are  numerous  springs  of 
this  mineral  oil  in  various  regions  of  the  West  and  South- 
West,  connected  especially  with  the  saline  and  bituminous 
coal  formations,  it  would  promote  the  cause  of  science  if 
notices  of  any  of  them  were  forwarded  for  publication. 


EARLY  NOTES  OF  PETROLEUM — PETROLEUM  SPRINGS.    17 

The  petroleum  sold  in  the  Eastern  states  under  the 
name  of  Seneca  Oil  is  of  a  dark  brown  color,  between  that 
of  tar  and  molasses ;  and  its  degree  of  consistency  is  not 
dissimilar  according  to  temperature.  Its  odor  is  strong, 
and  too  well  known  to  need  description.  I  have  fre- 
quently distilled  it  in  a  glass  retort,  and  the  naphtha 
which  collects  in  the  receiver  is  of  a  light  straw  color,  and 
much  lighter,  more  odorous  and  inflammable  than  petro- 
leum. In  the  first  distillation  a  little  water  usually  rests 
in  the  receiver  at  the  bottom  of  the  naphtha.  From  this 
it  is  easily  decanted,  and  a  second  distillation  prepares  it 
perfectly  for  preserving  potassium  and  sodium,  the  object 
which  led  me  to  distil  it.  And  these  metals  I  have  kept 
under  it,  as  others  have  done  for  years.  Eventually  they 
acquire  some  oxygen  from  or  through  the  naphtha,  and 
the  exterior  portion  of  the  metal  returns  slowly  to  the  con- 
dition of  alkali — more  rapidly  if  the  stopper  is  not  tight. 
The  petroleum  remaining  from  distillation  is  thick  like 
pitch.  If  the  distillation  has  been  pushed  far  the .  resi- 
duum will  flow  only  languidly  into  the  retort,  and  in  cold 
weather  it  becomes  a  soft  solid,  resembling  much  the  mul- 
tha  or  mineral  pitch.  The  famous  lake  of  multha  and  pe- 
troleum in  the  island  of  Trinidad  is  well  known.  I  have 
specimens  from  that  place  in  all  the  conditions  between 
fluid  petroleum  and  firm  pitch.  It  is  unnecessary  to  re- 
peat that  the  English  use  it  on  their  ships  of  war  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  tar  and  pitch,  and  that  the  bituminous  mass  in 
the  natural  lake,  which  covers  several  square  miles,  is  suf- 
ficiently tenacious  to  support  a  man  during  the  colder  part 
of  the  year,  but  at  the  opposite  season  is  too  soft  to  sustain 
any  considerable  weight. 

In  alluding  to  the  probable  connection  with  bituminous 
coal  of  the  oil  spring  named  at  the  head  of  this  notice,  I 
did  not  mean  to  imply  that  petroleum  and  other  bitumi- 
nous substances  necessarily  prove  that  there  is  coal  beneath, 
2 


IS  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

for  it  has  been  ascertained  that  bitumen  exists  in  a  limited 
degree  in  many  minerals,  as  appears  from  some  of  the 
phenomena  of  volcanoes,  and  was  proved  experimentally 
by  the  late  Hon.  George  Knox,  in  an  extensive  series  of 
researches  published  in  the  philosophical  transactions  of 
London. 

As  regards  the  probability  of  finding  coal  the  opinion 
should  be  thus  modified :  If  the  country  on  whose  waters, 
or  in  whose  rocks  petroleum  or  other  varieties  of  bitumen 
appear,  is  such  a  one  as  in  its  geological  structure  is  con- 
sistent with  the  usual  associations  of  coal,  then  the  exist- 
ence of  bitumen,  especially  if  it  be  abundant,  and.  more 
especially  if  the  rocks  themselves  are  impregnated  with 
it,  affords  a  strong  presumption  in  favor  of  the  existence 
of  coal  beneath.  Such  is  the  fact  in  this  part  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  The  shale  at  Genesee  is  highly  bitumi- 
nous, and  burns  readily,  with  abundant  flame.  I  cannot 
answer  for  the  rocks  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Oil 
Spring,  as  they  are  not  in  view. 

The  people  have  dug  a  few  feet  for  coal  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  yards  from  the  spring;  the  excavation  is  too 
shallow  to  decide  anything  except  that  petroleum  rose  in 
this  place  also  as  at  the  spring,  thus  proving  that  the 
bituminous  impregnation  is  not  peculiar  to  that  spot. 

If  these  remarks  should  excite  any  interest  in  the 
minds  of  landed  proprietors  in  that  vicinity,  I  would  ven- 
ture to  suggest  to  them  that  it  would  not  be  wise  without 
some  more  evidence  to  proceed  to  sink  shafts,  for  they 
would  be  very  expensive  and  might  be  fruitless.  It 
would  be  much  wiser  to  bore,  which  would  enable  them 
at  a  comparatively  moderate  expense  to  ascertain  the 
existence,  depth  and  thickness  of  the  coal  should  it  exist. 
But  even  this  should  not  be  done  without  a  previous  dili- 
gent examination  of  water  courses,  banks,  precipices,  exca- 
vations for  wells,  cellars,  roads,  &c.,  which  might  perhaps 


EARLY  NOTES  OF  PETROLEUM — PETROLEUM  SPRINGS.   19 

materially  aid  the  inquiry.  The  well-known  existence  of 
bituminous  coal  beds  at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles  in 
Pennsylvania  renders  it  highly  probable  that  they  may 
pass  under  this  region,  but  perhaps  at  too  great  a  depth 
to  admit  of  profitable  extraction ;  for  the  abundance  of 
coal  in  other  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  west,  the 
magnitude  and  easy  accessibleness  of  the  beds  and  the 
excellence  of  the  coal  will  long  render  it  impossible  that 
thin  beds  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  especially  if  lying 
deep  in  the  ground,  should  be  wrought  without  ruinous 
expenditure.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  cattle 
drink  freely  of  the  waters  of  the  oil  springs — a  fact  that 
we  should  hardly  expect  since  they  are  so  foul,  and  since 
there  is  abundance  of  pure  water  near,  and  also  because 
we  should  expect  that  the  petroleum  would  render  the 
water  very  disgusting  to  animals.  Perhaps  they  may 
find  in  this  something  of  the  reputed  virtues  of  tar-water. 
I  could  not  learn  that  the  birds  ever  light  upon  or  near 
the  spring.  The  mephitic  gases  might  perhaps  make  it  a 
real  avernus  to  them." 

For  such  as  take  a  lively  interest  in  discovering  the 
origin  and  learning  the  history  of  Petroleum,  we  can  hardly 
think  of  a  paper  more  useful  than  the  above.  In  the  first 
place,  the  writer  was  one  of  the  ablest  scientists  of  our 
country  in  his  day,  and  had  manifestly  looked  into  the 
subject  before,  and  in  whose  educated  mind  the  phenome- 
non was  referred  to  natural  and  plausible,  if  not  true, 
causes.  Then  the  evidence  of  what  was  known  on  the 
subject  of  its  existence  in  the  country  previous  to  the 
development,  which  cannot  fail  to  interest  the  reader,  is 
not  liable  to  the  suspicion  of  invention  which  clings  to 
some  of  the  more  modern  publications,  even  when  written 
over  professional  titles. 

The  readiness  with  which  the  eminent  author  connects 
its  origin  with  bituminous  coal,  if  it  answered  no  better 


20  HISTOEY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

purpose,  would  serve  to  disembarrass  some  would-be  scho- 
larly individuals  who  are  inclined  to  deny  that  they  ever 
held  the  same  opinion  in  a  cruder  form,  because  it  is  not 
the  theory  prevailing  among  the  practical  oil  operators 
of  the  day,  who  indeed,  as  far  as  we  can  judge,  for  the 
most  part  persistently  refuse  to  entertain  any  theory  at 
all.  No  doubt  they  will  hasten  to  take  back  all  their 
denials  when  they  find  their  first  and  very  natural  suppo- 
sitions shared  by  such  respectable  authority. 

Indeed,  though  the  theories  of  the  origin  of  Petroleum 
are  numerous  and  all  of  them  liable  to  some  apparently 
insuperable  objections,  we  think  the  one  indicated  by  Prof. 
Silliman  in  the  above  paper  is  the  one,  with  some  modifi- 
cations, which  still  obtains  among  the  best  minds  that 
have  given  the  matter  consideration.  Formerly  it  was 
held  to  be  a  distillation  of  bituminous  strata  at  high  tem- 
peratures, and  the  work,  we  believe,  of  a  very  inconsidera- 
ble period  of  time ;  whereas  now  it  is  thought  to  be  a  result 
of  heat  applied  at  a  very  low  temperature,  but  for  infinite 
ages.  The  first  theory  supposed  the  production  to  have 
ceased  completely  with  the  cause  which  produced  it; 
while  the  second  favors  the  belief  that  it  is  being  slowly 
but  constantly  generated  in  the  carboniferous  formations. 
In  the  manufacture  from  bituminous  coal  of  kerosene  oil, 
a  substance  much  resembling  petroleum,  there  is  a  consi- 
derable amount  of  gas  given  off  that  does  not  condense, 
which,  supposing  the  petroleum  to  be  the  result  on  simi- 
lar constitutions  of  subterranean  distillation,  accounts  for 
the  gas  which  invariably  accompanies  it,  though  the  pro- 
duction of  gas  does  not  surely  indicate  the  production  of 
oil,  as  would  probably  be  the  case  if  the  distillation  took 
place  at  a  very  low  temperature.  The  village  of  Fredonia, 
Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  near  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  was 
lighted  by  natural  carburetted-hydrogen  gas  in  the  year 
1828,  which  was  supposed  to  be  the  production  of  bitumi- 


EARLY   NOTES  OF   PETROLEUM — GAS  AND   SALT   WELLS.       21 

nous  coal  beneath,  but  instrumental  surveys  have  we 
believe,  since  shown,  that  there  is  no  coal  beneath,  and 
all  borings  for  oil  in  that  vicinity  have  proved  fruitless, 
though  they  have  been  prosecuted  to  a  great  depth.  The 
supply  of  gas  was  more  than  sufficient  to  light  the  town, 
though  the  hole  bored  in  the  fetid  limestone  rock  in  the 
edge  of  the  small  stream  in  which  the  gas  was  first  noticed 
to  escape,  was  only  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter.  Great 
quantities  of  gas  escaped  within  a  few  miles  and  further 
up  the  same  stream.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
what  connection  these  have  with  petroleum,  or  whether 
or  not  they  have  been  affected  by  the  enormous  discharge 
of  gas,  which  has  gone  on  for  years  now  in  the  oil  region 
of  Pennsylvania.  It  is  not  likely;  but  we  are  unable  to 
say.  While  their  composition  is  the  same,  it  is  not  pro- 
bable that  their  sources  are  identical.  • 

In  a  paper  communicated  to  the  "  American  Journal  of 
Science,"  for  July,  1833,  on  "  The  Saliferous  Rock  Forma- 
tion in  the  Valley  of  the  Ohio;'  by  Dr.  S.  P.  Hildreth,  of 
Marietta,  touching  incidentally  on  the  subject  of  Carburet- 
ted-Hydrogen  Gas  and  Petroleum,  he  says:  "All  salt 
wells  afford  more  or  less  of  this  interesting  gas,  an  agent 
intimately  concerned  in  the  free  rise  of  the  water,  and  uni- 
versally present  where  salt  water  is  found.  Indeed  so 
strong  is  the  evidence  afforded  by  the  rising  of  this  gas  to 
the  surface  of  the  existence  of  the  salt  rock  below,  that 
many  wells  are  sunk  on  this  evidence  alone.  It  is  with- 
out doubt  a  product  of  the  saliferous  formation  as  it  rises 
in  many  wells  without  any  appearance  of  petroleum, 
which  latter  product  is  probably  generated  by  bituminous 
coal,  and  in  all  wells,  from  a  depth  far  below  where  coal 
has  been  discovered  in  sufficient  quantity  to  furnish  such 
an  immense  and  constant  supply  as  is  continually  rushing 
from  the  earth  in  these  saliferous  regions.  In  many  wells, 
salt  water  and  inflammable  gas  rise  in  company  with  a 


22  HISTORY  OP  PETROLEUM. 

steady  uniform  flow.  In  others,  the  gas  rises  at  intervals 
of  ten  or  twelve  hours,  or  perhaps  as  many  days,  in  vast 
quantity,  and  with  overwhelming  force,  throwing  the  water 
from  the  well  to  the  height  of  fifty  or  one  hundred  feet  in 
the  air,  and  again  retiring  within  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
to  acquire  fresh  power  for  a  new  effort.  This  phenome- 
non is  called  "  blowing,"  and  is  very  troublesome  and 
vexatious  to  the  manufacturer.  The  explosion  is  some- 
times so  powerful  as  to  cause  the  copper  tube  which  lines 
the  upper  part  of  the  well  to  collapse,  and  to  entirely  mis- 
place and  derange  the  fixtures  about  it.  By  constant  use 
this  difficulty  is  sometimes  overcome  by  the  exhaustion 
of  the  gas,  and  in  others  the  wells  have  been  abandoned 
as  hopeless  of  amendment. 

A  well  on  the  Muskingum,  ten  miles  above  McConnels- 
ville,  at  six  hundred  feet  in  depth,  afforded  such  an  im- 
mense quantity  of  gas,  and  in  such  a  constant  stream, 
that  while  they  were  boring,  it  several  times  took  fire 
from  the  friction  of  the  iron  on  the  poles  against  the  sides 
of  the  wall,  or  from  the  scintillations  from  the  auger, 
driving  the  workmen  away,  and  communicating  the  flame 
to  the  shed  which  covered  the  works.  It  spread  itself 
along  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  ignited  several  com- 
bustible bodies  at  the  distance  of  several  rods.  It  became 
so  troublesome  and  difficult  to  extinguish  whenever  ignited, 
being  in  this  respect  a  little  like  the  Greek  fire  so  cele- 
brated by  Gibbon,  that  from  this  cause  only  the  well  has 
been  abandoned.  In  the  days  of  superstition  and  igno- 
rance this  would  doubtless  have  been  attributed  to  the 
anger  of  the  genius  who  presided  over  the  spot,  and  thus 
protected  it  from  the  unhallowed  approaches  of  man. 

At  A.  P.  Stone's  well,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
a  little  below  McConnelsville,  the  gas  rises  in  small  regular 
puffs  or  discharges,  averaging  one  for  every  minute  or  two, 
causing  the  water  to.  flow  in  jets  from  the  spout  as  it  falls 


EARLY  NOTES  OP  PETROLEUM — GAS  AND  SALT  WELLS.      23 

into  a  large  cistern  below.  The  water  rises  in  the  head 
through  a  bored  log  to  the  height  of  twenty-five  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  Through  a  hole  in  the  top  of  a 
small  receiver  or  cup,  the  gas  rises  in  a  constant  stream, 
and  when  a  candle  or  torch  is  applied,  kindles  into  a 
beautiful  flame,  burning  steadily  until  extinguished  by 
closing  the  hole — affording  in  the  stillness  and  darkness 
of  midnight  a  striking  and  interesting  phenomenon.  It 
is  supposed  that  this  well  alone  furnishes  sufficient  gas, 
if  properly  applied,  to  light  the  town  very  handsomely. 
No  petroleum  rises  with  it,  and  very  little  in  any  of  the 
other  wells  of  this  locality.  The  quantity  of  gas  in  dif- 
ferent wells  varies  very  considerably;  all,  however,  afford 
sufficient  to  keep  the  water  in  constant  agitation  over  the 
mouth  of  the  well.  The  supply  of  water  depends  very 
much  on  the  quantity  of  gas  discharged.  A  few  miles 
above  Charleston,  on  the  Big  Kanawha,  great  quantities 
of  the  carburetted  hydrogen  are  slowly  emitted  through 
the  earth.  A  tract  of  several  rods  in  extent,  near  the 
river  bank,  is  so  charged  with  it  that  on  making  shallow 
cavities  in  the  sand,  and  applying  a  fire-brand,  it  immedi- 
ately becomes  ignited,  and  burns  with  a  steady  flame  for 
an  indefinite  period,  or  until  extinguished  by  covering  it 
with  sand.  The  boatmen,  a  rude  but  jolly  race,  often 
amuse  themselves  by  tracing  a  circle  in  the  sand  around 
some  one  of  the  company  unacquainted  with  the  mystery, 
and  applying  fire,  a  flame  immediately  springs  up  as  if  by 
magic  around  the  astonished  wight,  which  being  entirely 
confined  to  the  circle  traced,  adds  much  to  his  terror,  and 
increases  the  delight  of  his  boisterous  companions.  In  a 
short  time  the  sand  beneath  the  burning  gas  becomes  red 
hot.  The  neighboring  women  sometimes  make  use  of  it 
to  boil  their  water  when  washing  clothes  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  boatmen  occasionally  cook  their  food  in  the 
same  easy  and  cheap  manner.  This  spot  would  afford  a 


24  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

fine  site  for  the.  temple  of  the  fire-worshippers  of  ancient 
Persia.  In  low  stages  of  the  water,  gas  and  oil  are  seen 
oozing  from  the  bed  of  the  river  at  various  points.  On 
the  Little  Muskingum  River,  a  few  miles  from  Marietta, 
this  gas  is  discharged  in  many  places — often  through  a 
pool  or  sink-hole  filled  with  water — in  which  case  it  is 
called  a  burning  spring.  Petroleum  is  often  found  rising 
from  the  earth  near  the  spring.  Throughout  the  whole 
saliferous  region,  so  far  as  I  have  any  knowledge,  on  pe- 
netrating the  salt  rock  a  greater  or  less  quantity  of  car- 
buretted-hydrogen  gas  is  discharged  through  the  opening; 
in  some  places  accompanied  by  petroleum,  and  in  others 
without  this  co-existent  production." 
Continuing,  he  says  of 

Petroleum  or  Fossil  Oil: 

Since  the  first  settlement  of  the  country  west  of  the 
Apallachian  range,  the  hunters  and  early  pioneers  have 
been  acquainted  with  this  oil.  Rising  in  a  hidden  and 
mysterious  manner  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  it  soon 
arrested  their  attention,  and  acquired  great  value  in  the 
eyes  of  these  simple  sons  of  the  forest.  Like  some  mira- 
culous gift  from  Heaven,  it  was  thought  to  be  a  sovereign 
remedy  for  nearly  all  the  diseases  common  to  those  pri- 
meval days ;  and  from  its  success  in  rheumatism,  burns, 
coughs,  sprains,  &c.,  was  justly  entitled  to  all  its  celebrity. 
It  acquired  the  name  of  Seneca  Oil — that  by  which  it  is 
generally  known — from  having  first  been  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  Seneca  Lake,  New  York.  From  its  being 
found  in  limited  quantities,  and  its  great  and  extensive 
demand,  a  small  vial  of  it  would  sell  for  forty  or  fifty 
cents.  It  is  at  this  time  in  general  use  among  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  country  for  saddle  bruises  and  that  com- 
plaint called  the  scratches  in  horses.  It  seems  to  be 
peculiarly  adapted  to  the  flesh  of  horses,  and  cures  many 


EARLY  NOTES   OF   PETROLEUM — FOSSIL  OIL.  25 

of  their  ailments  with  wonderful  certainty  and  celerity. 
Flies  and  other  insects  have  a  natural  antipathy  to  its 
effluvia,  and  it  is  used  with  much  effect  in  preventing  the 
deposit  of  eggs  by  the  "  blowing  fly  "  in  the  wounds  of 
domestic  animals  during  the  summer  months.  In  neigh- 
borhoods where  it  is  abundant  it  is  burned  in  lamps  in 
place  of  spermaceti  oil,  affording  a  brilliant  light,  but  fill- 
ing the  room  with  its  own  peculiar  odor.  By  filtering  it 
through  charcoal  much  of  this  empyreumatic  smell  is  de- 
stroyed, and  the  oil  greatly  improved  in  quality  and  ap- 
pearance. It  is  also  well  adapted  to  prevent  friction  in 
machinery ;  for,  being  free  of  gluten,  so  common  to  animal 
and  vegetable  oils,  it  preserves  the  parts  to  which  it  is 
applied  for  a  long  time  in  free  motion.  Where  a  heavy 
vertical  shaft  runs  in  a  socket  it  is  preferable  to  all  or  any 
other  articles.  This  oil  rises  in  greater  or  less  abundance 
in  most  of  the  salt  wells  on  the  Kanawha,  and  collecting 
as  it  rises  in  the  head  on  the  top  of  the  water,  is  removed 
from  time  to  time  with  a  ladle,  and  put  by  for  sale  or  use. 

The  greater  abundance  of  stone  coal  in  this  locality,  than 
in  that  of  the  Muskingum,  gives  it  a  decided  advantage  in 
the  elaboration  of  petroleum.  On  the  latter  river  the  wells 
afford  but  little  oil,  and  that  only  during  the  time  the  pro- 
cess of  boring  is  going  on.  It  ceases  soon  after  the  wells  are 
completed,  and  yet  all  of  them  abound  more  or  less  in  gas. 

A  well  on  Duck  Creek,  about  thirty  miles  north  of  Ma- 
rietta, owned  by  Mr.  McKee,  furnishes  the  greatest  quan- 
tity of  any  in  this  region.  It  was  dug  in  the  year  1814, 
and  is  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  in  depth.  Salt 
water  was  reached  at  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet, 
but  not  in  sufficient  quantity.  However,  no  more  water 
was  found  below  this  depth.  The  rocks  passed  were  simi- 
lar to  those  on  the  Muskingum  River,  above  the  flint  stra- 
tum, or  like  those  between  the  flint  and  salt  deposits  at 
McConnelsville.  A  bed  of  coal  two  yards  in  thickness 


26  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

was  found  at  the  depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  gas  at 
one  hundred  and  forty-four  feet,  or  forty-one  feet  above 
the  salt  rock.  The  hills  are  sandstone,  based  on  lime,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  with 
abundant  beds  of  stone  coal  near  their  feet.  The  oil  from 
this  well  is  discharged  periodically,  at  intervals  of  from 
two  to  four  days,  and  from  three  to  six  hours  duration  at 
each  period.  Great  quantities  of  gas  accompany  the  dis- 
charges of  oil,  which  for  the  first  few  years  amounted  to 
from  thirty  to  sixty  gallons  at  each  eruption.  The  dis- 
charges at  this  time,  are  less  frequent  and  diminished  in 
amount,  affording  only  about  a  barrel  per  week,  which  is 
worth  xit  the  well  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  cents  a  gallon. 
A  few  years  ago,  when  oil  was  most  abundant,  a  large 
quantity  had  been  collected  in  a  cistern  holding  thirty  or 
forty  barrels.  At  night  some  one  engaged  about  the 
works  approached  the  well-head  with  a  lighted  candle. 
The  gas  instantly  became  ignited,  and  communicated 
the  flames  to  the  contents  of  the  cistern,  which,  giving 
way,  suffered  the  oil  to  be  discharged  down  a  short  decli- 
vity into  the  creek,  where  the  water  passes  with  a  rapid 
current  close  to  the  well.  The  oil  still  contined  to  burn 
most  furiously,  and  spreading  itself  along  the  surface  of 
the  stream  for  half  a  mile  in  extent,  shot  its  flames  to  the 
tops  of  the  highest  trees,  exhibiting  the  novel  and  perhaps 
never-before  witnessed  spectacle  of  a  river  actually  on 
fire." 

Here  we  find  Petroleum  obtained  more  than  thirty 
years  before  its  final  development,  yet  attended  with  all 
the  accidents,  and  presenting  all  the  phenomena  that 
characterize  its  production  in  Pennsylvania.  These  are 
not  accounts  open  to  the  suspicion  of  exaggeration.  They 
were  written  and  published  more  than  a  generation  before 
the  philosophy  of  Petroleum  broke  upon  the  understanding 
of  man.  Here  we  find  it  repeatedly  forced  upon  his  atten- 


EARLY  NOTES  OF  PETROLEUM — REFLECTIONS.  27 

tion  in  the  very  way  it  was  finally  developed,  and  still 
the  idea  of  artesian  boring  was  never  designedly  applied 
to  the  production  of  Petroleum  till  at  last  suggested,  as  is 
often  the  case  with  great  ideas,  by  a  most  trivial  occur- 
rence. 

Here  was  a  well  bored  for  salt  to  the  depth  of  six  or 
eight  hundred  feet — to  the  average  depth  of  Petroleum 
wells  in  Pennsylvania — producing  scarcely  anything  but 
Petroleum,  every  well  in  the  region  throwing  up  more  or 
less  of  the  oil,  and  yet  it  seems  never  to  have  occurred 
to  any  one  that  if  bored  for  expressly,  it  could  be  found 
in  paying  quantities. 

What  a  comment  on  the  narrowness  of  a  mind  pre- 
occupied !  How  have  we  overlooked  all  the  great  truths 
of  philosophy,  until  at  last  they  secured  a  sprouting  place 
in  some  mind  unprejudiced  by  practice  and  unbiased  by 
theory.  And  then  we  call  it  inspiration,  when  the  germ 
that  has  fallen  in  good  ground,  and  sprouted,  and  blos- 
somed, and  borne  fruit,  has  proved  to  be  such  a  very 
wonderful  little  seed,  and  one  that  all  saw,  and  none  com- 
prehended, when  it  was  lying  exposed  in  the  stony  places. 
And  then  we  wonder  we  had  not  comprehended  it  before, 
especially  as  it  was  easier  to  comprehend  it — the  simple, 
little  idea — than  to  shut  it  out  from  our  understanding  as 
the  thing  quite  incomprehensible. 

Its  value  as  a  lubricator  was  indisputably  established ; 
its  medicinal  properties  were  appreciated;  very  little 
stood  in  the  way  of  its  adaptation  to  purposes  of  illumi- 
nating, and  so  much  of  even  that  objection  was  removed 
by  the  simple  process  of  filtering  through  charcoal — on 
which  process  a  patent  has  since  been  obtained — that  in 
the  light  of  present  events,  it  is  impossible  to  understand 
how  its  importance  could  have  been  overlooked,  could 
have  failed  to  suggest,  if  not  the  philosophy  of  its  exist- 
ence in  the  earth,  the  manner  in  which  it  is  held  among 


28  HISTORY   OF  PETROLEUM. 

the  rocks,  at  least  the  hope  of  making  a  fortune  by  deve- 
loping it  after  the  manner  of  raising  brine. 

Even  twenty  years  later  we  find  Mr.  Kier  of  Pittsburgh, 
profitably  engaged  in  bottling  and  selling  it  as  a  great 
natural  panacea ;  consuming  in  this  way  regularly  about 
three  barrels  a  day,  obtained  from  his  father's  salt  well  at 
Tarentum,  a  few  miles  above  Pittsburgh,  on  the  Alle- 
gany  River,  labelling  his  bottles  to  the  effect  that  this 
most  wonderful  remedy  was  obtained  four  hundred  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  earth — distilling  it,  even,  so  that 
nearly  every  objection  to  it  as  an  illuminator  in  the  crude 
state  was  removed,  and  yet  pocketing  the  returns  without 
giving  a  thought  to  its  origin  or  extent. 

"With  Mr.  Kier  naturally  enough  the  consideration  was 
to  utilize  what  he  had,  to  make  the  most  of  it,  rather 
than  by  research  and  development  to  bring  forth  that 
which  would  have  been  in  every  sense  a  drug  in  the  mar- 
ket. He  grasped  one  idea — its  utility,  and  suggested  the 
next — its  development. 

Thus  link  by  link,  was  forged  slowly,  the  chain  of  events 
which  united  thought  and  action,  effecting  what  is  known 
as  the  "" discovery"  of  Petroleum. 


THE  DISCOVERY  OP  THE  VALUE  OF  PETROLEUM.  29 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE  DISCOVERY   OF   THE   VALUE   OF   PETROLEUM. 


reader  will  hardly  need  to  be  informed  that  the 
circumstances'  related  in  the  last  chapter  were  not 
what  led  to  the  discovery  of  the.  economic  value  of  Pe- 
troleum. There  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  any  merit  in 
witnessing  and  describing  circumstances  purely  accidental 
in  their  occurrence,  when  to  do  so  effects  no  impression 
useful  to  the  cause  of  human  progress.  However  acci- 
dental, the  events  referred  to  must  be  allowed  to  have 
been  very  suggestive;  but  inasmuch  as  they  did  not 
suggest  anything  of  practical  importance  to  the  very  in- 
telligent gentlemen  who  beheld  them,  it  would  seem  to 
increase  our  obligations  to  the  person  who  finally  did 
grasp  the  simple  idea  of  the  philosophy  of  Petroleum, 
and  that  without  any  knowledge  of  the  circumstances 
mentioned.  But  it  must  be  conceded  that,  in  their  cases, 
a  most  important  incentive  was  wanting  —  the  article  had 
no  certain  market,  no  determinate  value.  The  fact  that 
it  sold  for  fifty  and  twenty-five  cents  a  gallon  proves 
nothing.  It  sold  for  that  in  1859,  but  the  first  day's 
productions  of  the  first  well  "broke  the  market."  There 
was  no  demand  for  it,  because  its  uses  were  unknown  — 
or  at  least  not  definitely  understood.  If  any  one  thinks 
that  a  larger  and  more  constant  supply  would  have  earlier 
brought  about  a  knowledge  of  its  importance  (had  that 
supply  been  accidentally  obtained,  and  had  its  continu- 
ance been  altogether  conjectural,)  let  him  reflect  how 
comparatively  slow  was  its  introduction  to  general  use, 


30  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

even  when  the  supply  was  so  large  that  its  cost  was 
merely  nominal,  and  its  continuance  an  established  fact. 
No !  The  world  was  not  yet  ready  for  it.  And  though 
the  long  course  of  scientific  research  in  other  directions, 
which  prepared  for  its  final  reception,  has  escaped  public 
attention,  it  is  easy  to  show  that  the  way  was  not  pre- 
pared in  a  moment ;  but  it  is  difficult,  looking  back  from 
the  light  of  the  present,  to  excuse  a  stupidity  which  cannot 
now  be  understood,  because  it  has  been  out-grown. 

No  science  has  been  more  active,  progressive,  and  use- 
ful in  the  last  forty  years  than  Chemistry.  But  its 
strides  have  been  as  silent  as  they  have  been  rapid  ;  and 
though  as  a  science  it  has  almost  grown  up  within  the 
age  of  living  men,  and  while  it  has  done  more,  perhaps, 
than  all  other  sciences  to  enable  us  to  understand  physi- 
cal relations,  there  are  still  plenty  of  intelligent  people 
who  know  no  more  of  it  than  the  name.  It  is  mainly  to 
this  science  that  we  owe  those  elaborate  experimental  re- 
searches which  demonstrated  the  practical  utility  of  Pe- 
troleum to  the  domestic  comforts  of  refined  civilization. 

About  the  year  1830  a  German  chemist  named  Reichen- 
bach,  while  experimenting  with  the  bitumen  found  in 
wood,  discovered  a  white,  tasteless,  inodorous,  waxy  sub- 
stance which  he  called  Paraffine,  because  of  its  antipathy 
to  unite  with  other  substances.  Like  Selligne  of  France, 
Reichenbach  had  devoted  much  attention  to  the  produc- 
tion of  illuminating  oils  from  the  coals  and  bituminous 
shales  in  his  own  country,  as  well  as  various  other  por- 
tions of  the  Continent  of  Europe,  and  like  him  experi- 
mented for  years  without  producing  anything  of  value. 

The  small  quantity  of  paraffine  obtained,  was  hoarded 
as  a  curiosity  of  the  laboratory,  and  for  many  years,  it  is 
said,  was  the  only  bit  of  that  substance  in  existence.  It 
does  not  appear  that  Reichenbach  himself  at  the  time, 
clearly  understood  the  chemical  change  by  which  it  was 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  VALUE  OF  PETROLEUM.  31 

produced,  but  his  researches  were  continued,  and  together 
with  Selligne's  and  several  others,  his  name  now  appears 
as  the  inventor  or  discover  of  kerosene,  or  coal  oil.  It 
seems  likely  that  either  of  them  is  entitled  to  all  he 
claims,  for  they  appear  to  have  worked  separately;  and 
aside  from  the  meagre  details  of  their  progress  given  to 
the  scientific  journals  of  the  day,  to  have  known  little 
of  each  other's  experiments. 

It  is  true,  no  vast  credit  can  attach  to  the  invention  or 
discovery  on  account  of  originality,  for  the  way  was  very 
clearly  pointed  out  by  facts  already  known.  But  its  im- 
portance can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  The  refining  in- 
fluence— we  might  say  the  civilizing  influence — of  a  good 
cheap  illuminator,  could  easily  be  shown  if  this  were  the 
place  for  an  extended  essay  on  the  subject. 

The  introduction  of  gas  in  the  cities  of  Asia  and 
Europe,  furnish  statistics  on  the  subject  most  interesting 
from  the  political,  as  well  as  the  humanitarian  point  of 
view.  But  the  want  of  an  illuminator  for  the  habita- 
tions of  the  poor,  and  for  such  places  as  could  not  be 
economically  lighted  with  gas  was  manifest,  and  in  obedi- 
ence to  a  common  want  we  find  it  invented  almost  simul- 
taneously in  three  countries — England,  France  and  Ger- 
many— occupying  the  same  plane  in  civilization.  Such 
coincidences  frequently  occur;  but  it  is  a  remarkable  fact 
that  they  never  occur  unless  the  invention  has  become  a 
manifest  necessity  to  the  comfort  of  the  society,  and  the 
progress  of  the  civilization  which  the  inventors  have  en- 
joyed. 

Reichenbach's  ounce  or  two  of  Parafnne  was  preserved 
for  many  years  as  a  great  curiosity  to  his  scientific  friends. 
A  small  quantity  of  it  was  also  discovered  by  Selligne,  a 
few  years  later ;  but  it  was  reserved  for  Mr.  James  Young 
of  Scotland  to  complete  the  value  of  the  discovery  by 
showing  how  to  produce  it  at  will,  and  in  quantity,  and 


32  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

by  utilizing  it  to  the  comforts  of  mankind.  In  1850  he 
procured  a  patent  in  England  for  the  manufacture  of 
"paraffine  oil,  or  oil  containing  paraffine,  and  paraffine 
from  bituminous  coals."  Some  years  later  a  similar  patent 
was  issued  to  him  by  the  government  of  the  United  States. 

Before  this  oil  had  been  manufactured  from  bituminous 
shales  and  coals  on  a  small  scale  in  France — by  Selligne, 
we  think — in  Germany,  and  in  the  Austrian  Empire. 
Even  on  the  American  Continent,  Dr.  Abraham  Gesner 
manufactured  oil  from  coal  as  early  as  1846,  and  exhibited 
the  same  in  the  course  of  his  lectures  in  the  British  Pro- 
vinces. Uniting  himself  with  capitalists,  Mr.  Young 
promptly  began  the  manufacture  of  paraffine  oil  on  a  large 
scale.  No  lamp  had  yet  been  invented  in  which  it  would 
burn  without  a  most  offensive  smoke,  and  while  the  hea- 
viest of  this  manufacture  was  used  for  lubricating  machi- 
nery, the  lightest  was  reduced  to  paraffine  wax,  manufac- 
tured into  candles,  and  sold  as  spermaceti,  to  which  it 
bears  a  striking  resemblance.  It  is  a  product  obtained 
by  destructive  distillation  of  the  oil — that  is,  one  sub- 
stance is  destroyed  before  the  other  is  produced.  The 
change  which  takes  place  is  purely  chemical,  and  not  me- 
chanical, as  it  would  be  if  the  paraffine  was  separated 
from  the  oil  by  which  it  was  merely  held  in  solution.  Mr. 
Young's  process  consists  in  breaking  the  coals  into  pieces 
about  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg,  which  are  then  distilled  in 
the  common  gas  retort,  with  worm  pipes  and  the  ordinary- 
refrigerators  of  stills,  the  water  in  them  being  kept  at  a 
temperature  of  about  55°  Fahr.,  by  a  stream  of  cold  water 
entering  the  worm  cistern.  The  retort  is  kept  at  a  low 
red  heat,  and  heated  up  gradually.  The  product  is  an 
oil  containing  the  paraffine. 

The  crude  oil  is  put  into  a  cistern,  and  steam  heat 
applied  up  to  about  156°.  This  separates  some  of  the 
impurities,  and  the  oil  is  run  off  into  another  vessel,  leaving 


THE   DISCOVERY  OF  THE  VALUE    OF   PETROLEUM.  33 

the  impurities  behind.  The  oil  is  then  distilled  in  an  iron 
still,  with  a  worm  pipe  and  refrigerator,  the  water  in  the 
latter  being  kept  at  55°  Fahr.  The  oil  thus  distilled  is  then 
agitated  with  10  per  cent,  of  sulphuric  acid  for  an  hour. 
It  is  then  allowed  to  settle  twelve  hours,  when  it  is  drawn 
off  from  the  acid  and  impurities  into  an  iron  vessel,  where 
it  is  again  agitated  with  a  solution  of  caustic  soda  of  spe- 
cific gravity  1.300.  Six  hours  are  again  allowed  for  the 
alkali  and  impurities  to  settle  when  the  oil  is  again  drawn 
off  and  distilled  with  half  its  bulk  of  water,  which  is  run 
into  the  still  from  time  to  time  to  supply  the  quantity 
distilled  off.  The  light  oil  comes  over  with  the  steam, 
and  is  employed  for  illumination.  The  oil  left  in  the  still 
is  carefully  separated  from  all  water,  and  put  into  a  leaden 
vessel,  and  then  agitated  with  two  per  cent,  of  sulphuric 
acid.  It  is  then  allowed  to  settle  twenty-four  hours. 
This  oil  is  then  run  into  another  vessel,  and  for  every 
one  hundred  gallons  there  are  added  twenty-eight  pounds 
of  chalk  ground  up  with  water  into  a  paste.  The  oil  and 
chalk  are  agitated  together  until  the  oil  is  freed  of  acid. 
After  it  has  remained  a  week  at  rest,  it  is  used  for  lubri- 
cating machinery,  and  may  be  mixed  with  animal  or 
vegetable  oils  for  that  purpose. 

To  obtain  the  Paraffine  the  oil  containing  it  is  brought 
down  to  a  temperature  of  30°  Fah.,  when  paraffine  will 
crystallize  and  separate  itself  from  the  oil ;  or  it  may  be 
filtered  and  finally  submitted  to  pressure.  Again  it  is 
agitated  with  its  bulk  of  sulphuric  acid,  and  the  opera- 
tion repeated  until  the  acid  ceases  to  be  colored  by  the 
paraffine,  which  is  kept  melted  during  the  operation." 

Mr.  Gerker's  method,  differed  from  this  not  very  ma- 
terially, but  had  for  its  object  not  the  production  of  paraf- 
fine, and  therefore  the  similarity  of  the  treatment  ceased 
just  where  the  production  of  paraffine  began. 

His  purpose  was  merely  to  procure  an  illuminating  oil, 
3 


34  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

which  he  called  "  Kerosene,"  a  name  almost  identical  in 
its  meaning  with  "  Paraffine  oil."  The  patents  granted 
him  by  our  government,  known  as  the  "  Kerosene 
Patents,"  were  sold  to  the  North  American  Kerosene 
Gas  light  Company  of  New  York,  which  in  1854  began 
the  manufacture  of  Kerosene  oil  at  their  works  on  New- 
town  Creek,  Long  Island,  New  York.  Its  introduction 
was  discouragingly  slow.  The  refining  process  was  not 
thoroughly  understood,  and  nothing  had  then  been  found 
to  overcome  the  odor  which  was  most  offensive.  Men 
interested  in  the  manufacture  of  camphene,  and  burning 
fluids  of  all  sorts  spread  the  belief  that  it  was  very  ex- 
plosive. But  the  beauty  of  its  light  commended  it  in 
spite  of  the  odor  and  the  fear  of  explosion,  though  in  fact 
when  first  manufactured  it  was  no  more  explosive  than 
ordinary  sperm  oil.  One  great  apparent  need  was  a 
lamp  which  would  burn  it  without  a  smoke,  and  admit 
of  its  being  moved  around,  which  could  not  be  done  when 
it  was  burned  in  the  camphene  lamp.  This  difficulty  was 
afterwards  remedied  by  the  introduction  of  the  Vienna 
burner  by  Mr.  Austin. 

Mr.  Young's  patents  specified  a  paraffine  oil  from 
"  coals."  The  great  profit  of  the  business  induced  many 
to  embark  in  the  manufacture  of  the  oil,  and  he  soon 
found  that  his  patent-right  was  being  invaded  both  in  this 
country  and  England.  Proceedings  were  instituted  at 
once  to  compel  the  payment  of  a  royalty  of  three  cents 
per  gallon,  and  also  for  damages  by  infraction  of  the 
patent-right.  In  most  cases  these  were  strenuously  re- 
sisted; the  defendants  in  many  cases  claim  that  their  oils 
were  not  from  coals,  but  from  bituminous  shales  and  as- 
phaltum.  These  gave  the  proprietors  of  the  lands  with 
whom  for  the  most  part  sharp  bargains  had  been  driven, 
a  pretext  for  checking  the  despoliation  of  their  property, 
under  contracts  for,  the  removal  of  coal,  and  Mr.  Young 


THE   DISCOVERY   OF   THE   VALUE   OF   PETROLEUM.  35 

in  common  with  many  of  the  other  English  manufacturers 
found  himself  involved  in  litigation  that  threatened  to 
prove  interminable,  and  was  only  settled  at  last  by  com- 
promise. One  of  the  best  effects  of  these  costly  suits  was 
a  most  exhaustive  scrutiny  into  all  the  varieties  of  coals 
and  bitumens,  by  the  best  scientific  authorities  in  all 
countries,  and  though  in  a  few  instances  carboniferous 
deposits,  which  were  clearly  shown  to  be  asphalts  or  of 
that  nature,  by  their  solution  in  benzine  and  naphtha, 
were  pronounced  "coals"  by  ignorant  jurors,  it  has  not 
affected  the  value  of  those  researches  to  the  industries  of 
the  world,  nor  changed  the  opinions  of  educated  men. 
Mr.  Young's  patent,  after  having  been  the  source  of  a 
princely  fortune,  expired  in  England  in  1864,  and  four 
years  later  in  the  United  States,  but  it  had  brought  him 
no  revenue  from  this  country  since  the  discovery  of 
Petroleum  in  Pennsylvania. 

Before  that  event  took  place,  however,  a  market  was 
being  prepared  for  it  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  by  the 
manufacture  on*  an  extensive  scale  of  oils  from  coals, 
schists  and  bituminous  shales. 

In  Germany,  on  the  Rhine,  and  in  various  parts  of 
France  and  Switzerland,  large  manufactories  were  erected, 
and  it  soon  became  not  a  luxury  of  life,  but  a  necessity. 
And  in  the  Empire  of  Austria,  in  some  of  the  Northern 
provinces  of  which  it  was  extensively  manufactured,  a 
lamp  had  been  invented  in  which  the  oil  burned  with  a 
beautiful  clear  flame,  and  without  smoke.  The  light 
could  also  be  carried  about  indifferently  without  ex- 
tinguishing. Here  was  the  great  desideratum  at  last,  the 
greatest  obstacle  overcome.  This  lamp  was  promptly  in- 
troduced into  the  United  States.  Our  government  has 
issued  innumerable  patents  for  alterations  in  this  lamp, 
but  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  have  really  been  any 
improvement  on  the  first  one  brought  here,  and  many  of 


36  HISTOUY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

them  are  greatly  inferior.  The  quality  of  our  light  of 
course  has  been  greatly  improved,  but  it  is  less  the  result 
of  any  improvement  in  the  lamp,  than  a  more  perfect 
method  of  refining  the  oil. 

When  Mr.  Young  began  the  manufacture  of  mineral 
oil,  the  success  of  his  efforts  sent  consternation  into  some 
branches  of  industry  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

The  great  manufacturers  of  animal  oils  along  our  East- 
ern seaboard  were  first  to  take  the  alarm.  For  years  they 
had  almost  monopolized  the  whale  fisheries,  and  large 
amounts  of  capital  were  invested  in  the  production  of  the 
smaller  fish  oils  and  lard  oil.  They  saw  in  his  success 
the  breaking  down  of  their  monopoly,  the  destruction  of 
their  trade;  and  determined  to  preserve  their  importance, 
they  commenced  manufacturing  mineral  oils  themselves. 
Casting  about  for  the  means  of  self-preservation,  they  very 
soon  discovered  that  our  own  country  afforded  even  greater 
facilities  for  the  production  of  these  commodities  than 
either  Great  Britain  or  any  other  part  of  Europe. 

Our  bituminous  coal  measures,  were  found  to  be  the 
most  extensive  and  accessible  in  the  world.  Upon  exam- 
ination, valuable  oil-producing  shales  were  discovered. 
Mines  could  be  obtained  on  the  most  reasonable  terms ; 
could  often  be  purchased  in  fee  for  a  few  dollars  per  acre. 
Everything  was  favorable,  and  it  seemed  as  if  our  prestige 
in  oil  was  not  only  to  be  maintained,  but  vastly  increased. 

The  great  difficulty  was  the  cost  of  labor,  which  was 
four  times  as  great  as  in  England,  and  nearly  six  times 
greater  than  in  Germany,  where  much  of  the  work  was 
done  by  women.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  in  some  measure, 
compensated  by  the  difference  in  the  cost  of  lands ;  but  it 
was  a  compensation  which  must  soon  have  been  overcome. 

Eastern  capitalists  invested  largely  in  the  coal  lands 
of  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  and  to  obviate  the 
expense  of  transporting  the  coal  by  rail,  began  the  erec- 
tion of  oil  works  at  the  mines. 


THE   DISCOVERY   OF   THE   VALUE   OF   PETROLEUM.  37 

Near  Boston,  Mass.,  Saml.  Downer  had  erected  works  on 
a  most  extensive  scale,  which  cost  about  half  a  million  dol- 
lars, while  at  Portland  he  had  other  works  put  up  at  an 
expense  of  $250,000  for  the  manufacture  of  oil  from  im- 
ported coal;  and  they  continued  to  increase,  till  at  the 
time  oil  was  struck,  there  were  not  less  than  fifty  or  sixty 
of  these  establishments  in  the  United  States,  one  of  which 
was  in  Portland,  one  in  New  Bedford,  four  in  Boston,  one 
in  Hartford,  five  in  the  environs  of  New  York,  eight  or 
ten  in  western  Pennsylvania,  twenty-five  in  Ohio,  eight 
in  Virginia,  six  in  Kentucky,  and  one  in  St.  Louis. 
Many,  if  not  most,  of  these  were  of  small  capacity,  how- 
ever, and  the  greater  part  of  them  were  not  more  than 
fairly  started  when  the  discovery  of  petroleum  prostrated 
the  whole  business,  and  threatened  its  projectors  with 
overwhelming  loss,  from  which  they  were  happily  rescued 
by  converting  their  oil  factories  into  refineries,  which  was 
done  with  very  little  trouble. 

While  the  object  of  this  chapter  has  been  to  show  the 
gradual  steps  by  which  the  economic  value  of  petroleum 
was  discovered,  or  rather  demonstrated,  and  while  the 
reader  will,  we  presume,  believe  with  us,  that  had  its 
value  not  been  thus  conclusively  determined,  and  had  not 
the  way  for  its  reception  at  home  and  abroad  been  opened 
by  the  previous  extensive  introduction  of  coal  oil  both  as 
a  lubricator  and  an  illuminator,  its  development  must 
have  been  indefinitely  delayed ;  for  it  was  a  belief  in  its 
identity — for  practical  purposes — with  coal  oil  that 
prompted  the  series  of  investigations  which  resulted  in 
its  most  wonderful  development. 

The  event  which  finally  determined  its  economic  value, 
which  proved  its  identities  with,  and  differences  from, 
coal  oil,  which  showed  that  while  for  many  purposes  it 
was  about  the  same — for  most  purposes  it  was  superior, 
was  the  exhaustive  analysis  procured  and  paid  for  by 


38  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

George  H.  Bissel  and  others,  the  report  of  which  is 
appended  by  permission  of  Professor  Silliman  to  this 
chapter  rather  than  place  it  in  the  chronological  order  to 
be  observed  throughout  this  work  : 

MESSRS.  EVELETH,  BISSELL  &  REED, 
Gentlemen, — 

I  herewith  offer  you  the  results  of  my  somewhat  ex- 
tended researches  upon  the  Rock  Oil,  or  Petroleum,  from 
Venango  County,  Pennsylvania,  which  you  have  re- 
quested me  to  examine  with  reference  to  its  value  for 
economical  purposes. 

Numerous  localities,  well  known  in  different  parts  of 
the  world,  furnish  an  oily  fluid  exuding  from  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  sometimes  alone  in  "  tar  springs,"  as  they 
are  called  in  the  western  United  States ;  frequently  it  is 
found  floating  upon  the  surface  of  water  in  a  thin  film, 
with  rainbow  colors,  or  in  dark  globules,  that  may,  by 
mechanical  means,  be  separated  from  the  fluid  on  which 
it  swims. 

In  some  places  wells  are  sunk  for  the  purpose  of  ac- 
cumulating the  product  in  a  situation  convenient  for  col- 
lection by  pumping  the  water  out.  The  oil  exudes  on 
the  shores  of  lakes  and  lagoons,  or  rises  from  springs 
beneath  the  beds  of  rivers.  Such  are  the  springs  of 
Baku,  in  Persia,  and  the  wells  of  Amiano,  in  the  duchy 
of  Parma,  in  Italy.  The  usual  geological  position  of  the 
rocks  furnishing  this  natural  product,  is  in  the  coal  mea- 
sures— but  it  is  by  no  means  confined  to  this  group  of 
rocks,  since  it  has  been  found  in  deposits  much  more 
recent,  and  also  in  those  that  are  older — but  in  whatever 
deposits  it  may  occur,  it  is  uniformly  regarded  as  a  pro- 
duct of  vegetable  decomposition.  Whether  this  decom- 
position has  been  effected  by  fermentation  only,  or  by  the 


THE    DISCOVERY   OF   THE   VALUE   OF   PETROLEUM.  39 

aid  of  an  elevated  temperature,  and  distilled  by  heated 
vapor,  is  perhaps  hardly  settled. 

It  is  interesting,  however,  in  this  connection  to  re- 
member, that  the  distillation,  at  an  elevated  tempera- 
ture, of  certain  black  bituminous  shales  in  England  and 
France,  has  furnished  large  quantities  of  an  oil  having 
many  points  of  resemblance  with  Naphtha,  the  name 
given  to  this  colorless  oil,  which  is  the  usual  product  of 
distilling  Petroleum.  The  very  high  boiling  point  of 
most  of  the  products  of  the  distillation  of  the  Rock  Oil 
from  Yenango  County,  Pa.,  would  seem  to  indicate  that 
it  was  a  pyrogenic  (fire-produced)  product. 

Bitumen,  Asphaltum,  Mineral  Pitch,  Chapapote,  &c., 
&c.,  are  names  variously  given  to  the  more  or  less  hard, 
black  resinous  substance  which  is  produced  usually  from 
the  exposure  of  Petroleum  to  the  air,  and  is  found  either 
with  or  without  the  fluid  Naphtha  or  Petroleum.  The 
most  remarkable  examples  of  the  occurrence  of  these 
substances,  so  intimately  connected  with  the  history  of 
Rock  Oil,  are  the  Lake  Asphaltites  of  the  Dead  Sea,  so 
memorable  in  history,  the  well-known  Bitumen  Lake  of 
Trinidad,  and  the  deposits  of  mineral  pitch  or  Chapapote 
in  Cuba.  In  one  of  the  provinces  of  India,  vast  quanti- 
ties of  Petroleum  are  annually  produced,  the  chief  con- 
sumption being  local,  for  fuel  and  lights,  but  a  portion  is 
also  exported  to  Europe  for  the  production  of  Naphtha. 
In  the  United  States,  many  points  on  the  Ohio  and  its 
tributaries,  are  noted  as  producing  this  oil ;  nearly  all  of 
them  within  the  coal  measures.  A  detailed  history  of 
these  various  localities  can  be  found  recorded  in  books  of 
science,  and  their  repetition  here  would  be  out  of  place. 

General  Character  of  the  Crude  Product. 
The  crude  oil,  as  it  is  gathered  on  your  lands,  has  a 
dark  brown  color,  which,  by  reflected  light,  is  greenish  or 


40  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

bluish.  It  is  thick  even  in  warm  weather — about  as 
thick  as  thin  molasses.  In  very  cold  weather  it  is  some- 
what more  stiff,  but  can  always  be  poured  from  a  bottle 
even  at  15°  below  zero.  Its  odor  is  strong  and  peculiar, 
and  recalls  to  those  who  are  familiar  with  it,  the  smell 
of  Bitumen  and  Naphtha.  Exposed  for  a  long  time  to 
the  air,  it  does  not  thicken  or  form  a  skin  on  its  surface, 
and,  in  no  sense,  can  it  be  called  a  drying  oil.  The 
density  of  the  crude  oil  is  .882,  water  being  1*000.  It 
boils  only  at  a  very  high  temperature,  and  yet  it  begins 
to  give  off  a  vapor  at  a  temperature  not  greatly  above 
that  of  boiling  water.  It  takes  fire  with  some  difficulty, 
and  burns  with  an  abundant  smoky  flame.  It  stains 
paper  with  the  appearance  of  ordinary  fat  oils,  and  feels 
smooth  and  greasy  between  the  fingers.  It  is  frequently 
used  in  its  crude  state  to  lubricate  coarse  machinery.  In 
chemical  characters,  it  is  entirely  unlike  the  fat  oils. 
Most  of  these  characters  are  common  to  Petroleum  from 
various  places.  In  one  important  respect,  however,  the 
product  of  your  lands  differs  from  that  obtained  in  other 
situations,  that  is,  it  does  not,  by  continued  exposure  to 
the  air,  become  hard  and  resinous  like  mineral  pitch  or 
bitumen.  I  have  been  informed  by  those  who  have 
visited  the  locality,  that  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  above 
the  springs  which  furnish  your  oil,  there  is  no  crust  or 
deposit  of  this  sort  such  as  I  have  seen  in  other  situations 
where  Petroleum  or  mineral  tar  is  flowing.  This  differ- 
ence will  be  seen  to  be  of  considerable  importance,  as  it 
is  understood  and  represented  that  this  product  exists 
in  great  abundance  upon  your  property,  that  it  can  be 
gathered  wherever  a  well  is  sunk  in  the  soil,  over  a  great 
number  of  acres,  and  that  it  is  unfailing  in  its  yield  from 
year  to  year.  The  question  naturally  arises,  of  what 
value  is  it  in  the  arts,  and  for  what  uses  can  it  be  em- 
ployed ?  These  researches  answer  these  inquiries. 


THE  DISCOVERY   OF   THE   VALUE  OP  PETROLEUM.  41 

Examination  of  the  Oil. 

To  determine  what  products  might  be  obtained  in  the 
oil,  a  portion  of  it  was  submitted  to  fractional  distilla- 
tion.* The  temperature  of  the  fluid  was  constantly 
regulated  by  a  thermometer,  the  heat  being  applied  first 
by  a  water  bath,  and  then  by  a  bath  of  linseed  oil.  This 
experiment  was  founded  upon  the  belief  that  the  crude 
product  contained  several  distinct  oils,  having  different 
boiling  points.  The  quantity  of  material  used  in  this 
experiment,  was  304  grammes.  The  thermometer  indi- 
cated the  degrees  of  the  Centigrade  scale,  but,  for  con- 
venience, the  corresponding  degrees  of  Fahrenheit's  scale 
are  added.  The  water  bath  failed  to  distil  any  portion 
of  the  oil  at  100°  C.  (=212°Fah.)  only  a  small  quantity 
of  acid  water  came  over.  An  oil  bath,  linseed  oil,  was 
then  substituted,  and  the  temperature  was  regularly 
raised  by  slow  degrees  until  distillation  commenced. 
From  that  point  the  heat  was  successively  raised  by 
stages  of  ten  degrees,  allowing  full  time  at  each  stage  for 
complete  distillation  of  all  that  would  rise  at  that  tem- 
perature before  advancing  to  the  next  stage.  The  results 
of  this  tedious  process  are  given  in  the  annexed  table — 
304  Grammes  of  crude  oil,  submitted  to  fractional  dis- 
tillation, gave  : 

Temperature  Quantity. 

1st  Prod,  at  100°  €.=213°  Fah.      (acid  water,)       5  Cms. 


2d 

3d 

4th, 

5th 

6th 

7th 

8th 


at  140°  C.  to  150°  €.=284°  to  302°  Fah.  26 
at  150°  C.  to  1 60°  C.=30z°  to  320°  Fah.  29 
at  160°  C.  to  170°  €.=320°  to  388°  Fah.  38 
at  170°  C.to  180°  €.=338°  to  367°  Fah.  17 
at  1 80°  C.  to  200°  C.=356°  to  392°  Fah.  16 
at  200°  C.  to  220°  C.=392°  to  428°  Fah.  17 
at  220°  C.  to  270°  €.=428°  to  518°  Fah.  12 


Whole  quantity  distilled  by  this  method  .  .  160 

Leaving  residue  in  the  retort  ....         144 

Original  quantity,  .....  304 

*  Fractional  distillation  is  a  process  intended  to  separate  various  products  in  mixture, 
and  having  unlike  boiling  points,  by  keeping  the  mixture  contained  in  an  alembic  at 
regulated  successive  stages  of  temperature  as  long  as  there  is  any  distillate  at  a  given 
point,  and  then  raising  the  heat  to  another  degree,  Ac. 


42  HISTORY   OF    PETROLEUM. 

Product  No  1,  as  above  remarked,  was  almost  entirely 
water,  with  a  few  drops  of  colorless  oil,  having  an  odor 
similar  to  the  original  fluid,  but  less  intense. 

Product  No.  2  was  an  oil  perfectly  colorless,  very  thin 
and  limpid,  and  having  an  exceedingly  persistent  odor, 
similar  to  the  crude  oil,  but  less  intense. 

Product  No.  3  was  tinged  slightly  yellow,  perfectly 
transparent,  and  apparently  as  limpid  as  the  2d  product, 
with  the  same  odor. 

Product  No.  4  was  more  decidedly  yellowish  than  the 
last,  but  was  in  no  other  respect  distinguishable  from  it. 

Product  No.  5  was  more  highly  colored,  thicker  in  con- 
sistence, and  had  a  decided  empyreumatic  odor. 

Product  No.  6.  This  and  the  two  subsequent  products 
were  each  more  highly  colored  and  denser  than  the  pre- 
ceding. The  last  product  had  the  color  and  consistency 
of  honey,  and  the  odor  was  less  penetrating  than  that  of 
the  preceding  oils.  The  mass  of  crude  product  remaining 
in  the  retort  (equal  47.4  per  cent.,)  was  a  dark,  thick, 
resinous-looking  varnish,  which  was  so  stiff  when  cold, 
that  it  could  be  inverted  without  spilling.  This  showed 
no  disposition  to  harden  or  skin  over  by  exposure  to  the 
air.  The  distillation  was  arrested  at  this  point  in  glass, 
by  our  having  reached  the  limit  of  temperature  for  a  bath 
of  linseed  oil.  The  density  of  the  several  products  of  this 
distillation,  shows  a  progressive  increase,  thus : 


No.  2, density, 

No.  3 

No.  4 

No.  5 , 

No.  6 

No.  7 

No.  8 


•733 
752 
.766 
.776 
.800 
.848 
••854 


To  form  an  idea  of  the  comparative  density  of  these 
several  products,  it  may  be  well  to  state,  that  Sulphuric 
Ether,  which  is  one*  of  the  lightest  fluids  known,  has  a 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  VALUE  OP  PETROLEUM.  43 

density  of  .736,  and  Alcohol,  when  absolutely  pure, 
.800. 

The  boiling  points  of  these  several  fluids  present  some 
anomalies,  but  are  usually  progressive,  thus,  No.  2  gave 
signs  of  boiling  at  115°  C.  (=239°  Pah.)  and  boiled  vigor- 
ously and  remained  constant  at  225°  C.  to  228°  C., 
(=437°  to  442°  Fah.)  No.  3  began  to  boil  120°,  (=248° 
Fah.,)  rose  to  270°  (=518°  Fah.,)  where  it  remained  con- 
stant. No.  4  began  to  vaporize  at  140°,  (=284°  Fah.,) 
rose  to  290°,  (=554°  Fah.,)  where  it  remained  constant. 
On  a  second  heating  the  temperature  continued  to  rise, 
and  passed  305°,  (=581°  Fah.)  No.  5  gave  appearance 
of  boiling  at  160°,  (=320°  Fah.,)  boiling  more  vigorously 
as  the  heat  was  raised,  and  was  still  rising  at  308°, 
(=581°  Fah.)  No.  6  commenced  boiling  at  135°,  (=275° 
Fah.),  boiled  violently  at  160°,  (=320°  Fah.,)  and  con- 
tinued rising  above  the  range  of  the  mercurial  thermome- 
ter. No.  7  commenced  ebullition  at  the  same  temperature 
as  No.  6,  and  rose  to  305°,  (=581°  Fah.,)  where  the  ebul- 
lition was  not  very  active.  Much  time  was  consumed  in 
obtaining  these  results.  We  infer  from  them  that  the 
Rock  Oil  is  a  mixture  of  numerous  compounds,  all  having 
essentially  the  same  chemical  constitution,  but  differing  in 
density  and  boiling  points,  and  capable  of  separation  from 
each  other,  by  a  well-regulated  heat. 

The  uncertainty  of  the  boiling  points  indicates  that  the 
products  obtained  at  the  temperatures  named  above,  were 
still  mixtures  of  others,  and  the  question  forces  itself  upon 
us,  whether  these  several  oils  are  to  be  regarded  as  educts 
(i.  e.,  bodies  previously  existing,  and  simply  separated  in 
the  process  of  distillation,)  or  whether  they  are  not  rather 
produced  by  the  heat  and  chemical  change  in  the  process 
of  distillation.  The  continued  application  of  an  elevated 
temperature  alone  is  sufficient  to  effect  changes  in  the 
constitution  of  many  organic  products,  evolving  new 
bodies  not  before  existing  in  the  original  substance. 


44  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

Properties  of  the  Distilled   Oils. 

Exposed  to  the  severest  cold  of  the  past  winter,  all  the 
oils  obtained  in  this  distillation  remained  fluid.  Only  the 
last  two  or  three  appeared  at  all  stiffened  by  a  cold  of  15° 
below  zero,  while  the  first  three  or  four  products  of  dis- 
tillation retained  a  perfect  degree  of  fluidity.  Exposed  to 
air,  as  I  have  said,  they  suffer  no  change.  The  chemical 
examination  of  these  oils  showed  that  they  were  all  com- 
posed of  Carbon  and  Hydrogen,  and  probably  have  these 
elements  in  the  same  numerical  relation.  When  first  dis- 
tilled, they  all  had  an  acid  reaction,  due  to  the  presence 
of  a  small  quantity  of  free  sulphuric  acid,  derived  from  the 
crude  oil.  This  was  entirely  removed  by  a  weak  alka- 
line water,  and  even  by  boiling  on  pure  water.  Clean 
copper  remained  untarnished  in  the  oil  which  had  thus 
been  prepared,  showing  its  fitness  for  lubrication,  so  far 
as  absence  of  corrosive  quality  is  concerned.  The  oils 
contain  no  oxygen,  as  is  clearly  shown  by  the  fact  that 
clean  potassium  remains  bright  in  them.  Strong  Sul- 
phuric Acid  decomposes  and  destroys  the  oil  entirely. 
Nitric  Acid  changes  it  to  a  yellow,  oily  fluid,  similar  to 
the  changes  produced  by  Nitric  Acid  on  other  oils.  Hy- 
drochloric, Chromic  and  Acetic  Acids,  do  not  affect  it. 
Litharge  and  other  metallic  oxyds  do  not  change  it,  or 
convert  it  in  any  degree  to  a  drying  oil.  Potassium  re- 
mains in  it  unaffected,  even  at  a  high  temperature.  Hy- 
drates of  Potash,  Soda,  and  Lime,  are  also  without  action 
upon  it.  Ohloride  of  Calcium  and  many  other  salts  mani- 
fest an  equal  indifference  to  it.  Distilled  with  Bleaching 
Powders  (chloride  of  lime)  and  water,  in  the  manner  of 
producing  chloroform,  the  oil  is  changed  into  a  product 
having  an  odor  and  taste  resembling  chloroform.  Ex- 
posed for  many  days  in  an  open  vessel,  at  a  regulated 
heat  below  212°,  the  oil  gradually  rises  in  vapor,  as  may 


THE   DISCOVERY    OF   THE   VALUE   OF   PETROLEUM.  45 

be  seen  by  its  staining  the  paper  used  to  cover  the  vessel 
from  dust,  and  also  by  its  sensible  diminution.  Six  or 
eight  fluid  ounces,  exposed  in  this  -manner  in  a  metallic 
vessel  for  six  weeks  or  more,  the  he^at  never  exceeding 
200°,  gradully  and  slowly  diminished,  grew  yellow,  and 
finally  left  a  small  residue  of  dark  brown  lustrous-looking 
resin,  or  pitchy  substance,  which  in  the  cold  was  hard 
and  brittle.  The  samples  of  oil  employed  were  very 
nearly  colorless.  This  is  remarkable  when  we  remember 
that  the  temperature  of  the  distillation  was  above  500° 
Fah.  The  oil  is  nearly  insoluble  in  pure  alcohol,  not 
more  than  4  or  5  per  centum  being  dissolved  by  this 
agent.  In  ether  the  oil  dissolves  completely,  and  on 
gentle  heating  is  left  unchanged  by  the  evaporization  of 
the  ether.  India  Rubber  is  dissolved  by  the  distilled  oil 
to  a  pasty  mass,  forming  a  thick  black  fluid  which,  after 
a  short  time,  deposits  the  india  rubber.  It  dissolved  a 
little  amber,  but  only  sufficient  to  color  the  oil  red.  It 
also  dissolves  a  small  portion  of  copal  in  its  natural  state, 
but  after  roasting,  the  copal  dissolves  in  it  as  it  does  in 
other  oils. 

Use  for  Gas  Making. 

The  Crude  Oil  was  tried  as  a  means  of  illumination. 
For  this  purpose,  a  weighed  quantity  was  decomposed,  by 
passing  it  through  a  wrought  iron  retort  filled  with  car- 
bon, and  ignited  to  full  redness.  The  products  of  this 
decomposition  were  received  in  a  suitable  apparatus.  It 
produced  nearly  pure  carburetted  hydrogen  gas,  the 
most  highly  illuminating  of  all  the  carbon  gases.  In  fact, 
the  oil  may  be  regarded  as  chemically  identical  with 
illuminating  gas  in  a  liquid  form.  The  gas  produced 
equalled  ten  cubic  feet  to  the  pound  of  oil.  It  burned 
with  an  intense  flame,  smoking  in  the  ordinary  gas  jet,  but 
furnishing  the  most  perfect  flame  with  the  Argand  burner. 


46  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

These  experiments  were  not  prosecuted  further,  because 
it  was  assumed  that  other  products,  now  known  and  in 
use,  for  gas  making,  might  be  employed  at  less  expense 
for  this  purpose,  than  your  oil.  Nevertheless,  this  branch 
of  inquiry  may  be  worthy  of  further  attention. 

Distillation  at  a  higher  Temperature.. 

The  results  of  the  distillation  at  a  regulated  tempera- 
ture in  glass  led  us  to  believe,  that  in  a  metallic  vessel, 
capable  of  enduring  a  high  degree  of  heat,  we  might 
obtain  a  much  larger  proportion  of  valuable  products.  A 
copper  still,  holding  five  or  six  gallons,  was  therefore  pro- 
vided, and  furnished  with  an  opening,  through  which  a 
thermometer  could  be  introduced  into  the  interior  of  the 
vessel.  Fourteen  imperial  quarts  (or,  by  weight,  560 
ounces)  of  the  crude  product  were  placed  in  this  vessel, 
and  the  heat  raised  rapidly  to  about  280°  C.  (=536° 
Fah.),  somewhat  higher  than  the  last  temperature  reached 
in  the  first  distillation.  At  this  high  temperature,  the 
distillation  was  somewhat  rapid,  and  the  product  was 
easily  condensed  without  a  worm.  The  product  of  the 
first  stage  was  130  ounces  (or  over  28  per  cent.),  of  a 
very  light-colored  thin  oil,  having  a  density  of  .792. 
This  product  was  also  acid,  and,  as  before,  the  acid  was 
easily  removed  by  boiling  with  fresh  water.  The  tem- 
perature was  now  raised  to  somewhat  above  300°  C. 
(—572°  Fah.),  and  123  ounces  more  distilled,  of  a  more 
viscid  and  yellowish  oil,  having  a  density  of  .865.  This 
accounts  for  over  43  per  cent,  of  the  whole  quantity  taken. 
The  temperature  being  raised  now  above  the  boiling  point 
of  mercury,  was  continued  at  that  until  170  ounces,  or 
over  31  per  cent.,  of  a  dark  brown  oil  had  been  distilled, 
having  a  strong  empyreumatic  odor.  Upon  standing  still 
for  some  time,  a  dark  blackMi  sediment  was  seen  to  settle 
from  this  portion,  and  on  boiling  it  with  water,  the 


THE   DISCOVERY   OF   THE   VALUE   OF   PETROLEUM.  47 

unpleasant  odor  was  in  a  great  degree  removed,  and  the 
fluid  became  more  light-colored  and  perfectly  bright. 
(It  was  on  a  sample  of  this  that  the  photometric  experi- 
ments were  made.)  The  next  portion,  distilled  at  about 
700°  Fah.,  gave  but  about  17  ounces,  and  this  product 
was  both  lighter  in  color  and  more  fluid  than  the  last. 
It  now  became  necessary  to  employ  dry  hickory  wood  as 
a  fuel,  to  obtain  flame  and  sufficient  heat  to  drive  over 
any  further  portions  of  the  residue  remaining  in  the 
alembic. 

It  will  be  seen  that  we  have  already  accounted  for  over 
75  per  cent,  of  the  whole  quantity  taken.  There  was  a 
loss  on  the  whole  process  of  about  10  per  cent.,  made  up, 
in  part,  of  a  coaly  residue  that  remained  in  the  alembic, 
and  partly  of  the  unavoidable  loss  resulting  from  the 
necessity  of  removing  the  oil  twice  from  the  alembic, 
during  the  process  of  distillation,  in  order  to  change  the 
arrangements  of  the  thermometer,  and  provide  means  of 
measuring  a  heat  higher  than  that  originally  contem- 
plated. 

About  15  per  cent,  of  a  very  thick,  dark  oil  completed 
this  experiment.  This  last  product,  which  came  off 
slowly  at  about  750°  Fah.,  is  thicker  and  darker  than  the 
original  oil,  and  when  cold  is  filled  with  a  dense  mass  of 
pearly  crystals.  These  are  Paraffine,  a  peculiar  product 
of  the  destructive  distillation  of  many  bodies  in  the  organic 
kingdom.  This  substance  may  be  separated,  and  obtained 
as  a  white  body,  resembling  fine  spermaceti,  and  from  it 
beautiful  candles  have  been  made.  The  oil  in  which  the 
crystals  float  is  of  a  very  dark  color,  and  by  reflected 
light  is  blackish  green,  like  the  original  crude  product. 
Although  it  distills  at  so  high  a  temperature,  it  boils  at  a 
point  not  very  different  from  the  denser  products  of  the 
first  distillation.  The  Pafaffine,  with  which  this  portion 
of  the  oil  abounds,  does  not  exist  ready-formed  in  the  ori- 


48  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

ginal  crude  product ;  but  it  is  a  result  of  the  high  tem- 
perature employed  in  the  process  of  distillation,  by  which 
the  elements  are  newly  arranged. 

I  am  not  prepared  to  say,  without  further  investigation, 
that  it  would  be  desirable  for  the  Company  to  manufac- 
ture this  product  in  a  pure  state,  fit  for  producing  candles 
(a  somewhat  elaborate  chemical  process) ;  but  I  may  add 
that,  should  it  be  desirable  to  do  so,  the  quantity  of  this 
substance  produced  may  probably  be  very  largely  increased 
by  means  which  it  is  now  unnecessary  to  mention. 

Paraffine  derives  its  name  from  the  unalterable  nature 
of  the  substance,  under  the  most  powerful  chemical  agents. 
It  is  white,  in  brilliant  scales  of  a  greasy  lustre ;  it  melts 
at  about  116°,  and  boils  at  over  700°  Fah.;  it  dissolves 
in  boiling  alcohol  and  ether,  and  burns  in  the  air  with  a 
brilliant  flame.  Associated  with  Paraffine  are  portions 
of  a  very  volatile  oil,  Eupione,  which  boils  at  a  lower  tem- 
perature, and  by  its  presence  renders  the  boiling  point  of 
the  mixture  difficult  to  determine.  I  consider  this  point 
worthy  of  further  examination  than  I  have  been  able  at 
present  to  give  it,  i.  e.  whether  the  last  third,  and  possi- 
bly the  last  half,  of  the  Petroleum,  may  not  be  advanta- 
geously so  treated  as  to  produce  from  it  the  largest  amount 
of  Paraffine  which  it  is  able  to  produce. 

The  result  of  this  graduated  distillation,  at  a  high  tem- 
perature, is  that  we  have  obtained  over  90  per  cent,  of 
the  whole  crude  product  in  a  series  of  oils,  having  valua- 
ble properties,  although  not  all  equally  fitted  for  illumina- 
tion and  lubrication. 

A  second  distillation  of  a  portion  of  the  product  which 
came  over  in  the  latter  stages  of  the  process,  (a  portion  dis- 
tilled at  about  650°  Fah.,  and  having  a  high  color),  gave 
us  a  thin  oil  of  density  about  .750,  of  light  yellow  color 
and  faint  odor. 

It  is  safe  to  add  that,  by  the  original  distillation,  about 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  VALUE  OF  PETROLEUM.  49 

50  per  cent,  of  the  crude  oil  is  obtained  in  a  state  fit  for 
use  as  an  illuminator  without  further  preparation  than 
simple  clarification  by  boiling  a  short  time  with  water. 

Distillation  by  high  Steam. 

Bearing  in  mind  that  by  aid  of  high  steam,  at  an  ele- 
vated temperature,  many  distillations  in  the  arts  are 
effected  which  cannot  be  so  well  accomplished  by  dry 
heat,  I  thought  to  apply  this  method  in  case  of  the  pre- 
sent research.  Instances  of  this  mode  of  distillation  are 
in  the  new  process  for  Stearine  candles,  and  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  Rosin  Oil.  I  accordingly  arranged  my  retort  in 
such  a  manner  that  I  could  admit  a  jet  of  high  steam  into 
the  boiler,  and  almost  at  the  bottom  of  the  contained 
Petroleum.  I  was,  however,  unable  to  command  a  jet 
of  steam  above  275°  to  290°  Fah.,  arid,  although  this  pro- 
duced abundant  distillation,  it  did  not  effect  a  separation 
of  the  several  products,  and  the  fluid  distilled  had  much 
the  same  appearance  as  the  Petroleum  itself,  thick  and 
turbid.  As  this  trial  was  made  late  in  the  investigation, 
I  have  been  unable  to  give  it  a  satisfactory  issue,  chiefly 
for  want  of  steam  of  a  proper  temperature.  But  I  sug- 
gest, for  the  consideration  of  the  Company,  the  propriety 
of  availing  themselves  of  the  experience  already  existing 
on  this  subject,  and  particularly  among  those  who  are 
concerned  in  the  distillation  of  Rosin  Oil — a  product 
having  many  analogies  with  Petroleum  in  respect  to  its 
manufacture. 

Use  of  the  Naphtha  for  Illumination. 
Many  fruitless  experiments  have  been  made  in  the 
course  of  this  investigation  which  it  is  needless  to  recount. 
I  will,  therefore,  only  state  those  results  which  are  of 
value. 

1.  I  have  found  that  the  only  lamp  in  which  this  oil 
can  be  successfully  burned,  is  the  Camphene  lamp,  or  one 
4 


50  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

having  a  button  to  form  the  flame,  and  an  external  cone 
to  direct  the  current  of  air,  as  is  now  usual  in  all  lamps 
designed  to  burn  either  Camphene,  Rosin  Oil,  Sylvic  Oil, 
or  any  other  similar  product. 

2.  As  the  distilled  products  of  Petroleum  are  nearly  or 
quite  insoluble  in  alcohol,  burning  fluid  (i.  e.,  a  solution 
of  the  oil  in  alcohol)  cannot  be  manufactured  from  it. 

3.  As  a  consequence,  the  oil  cannot  be  burned  in  a 
hand  lamp,  since,  with  an  unprotected  wick,  it  smokes 
badly.     Neither  can  it  be  burned  in  a  Carcel's  mechanical 
lamp,  because  a  portion  of  the  oil  being  more  volatile 
than  the  rest,  rises  in  vapor  on  the  elevated  wick  required 
in  that  lamp,  and  so  causes  it  to  smoke. 

I  have  found  all  the  products  of  distillation  from  the 
copper  still  capable  of  burning  well  in  the  Camphene 
lamp,  except  the  last  third  or  fourth  part  (i.  e.,  that  por- 
tion which  came  off  at  700°  Fah.  and  rising,  and  which 
was  thick  with  the  crystals  of  Paraffine).  Freed  from, 
acidity  by  boiling  on  water,  the  oils  of  this  distillation 
burned  for  twelve  hours  without  injuriously  coating  the 
wick,  and  without  smoke.  The  wick  may  be  elevated 
considerably  above  the  level  required  for  Camphene,  with- 
out any  danger  of  smoking,  and  the  oil  shows  no  signs  of 
crusting  the  wick  tubes  with  a  coating  of  Rosin,  such  as 
happens  in  the  case  of  Camphene,  and  occasions  so  much 
inconvenience.  The  light  from  the  rectified  Naphtha  is 
pure  and  white  without  odor.  The  rate  of  consumption 
is  less  than  half  that  of  Camphene,  or  Rosin  Oil.  The 
Imperial  pint,  of  20  fluid  ounces,  was  the  one  employed 
— a  gallon  contains  160  such  ounces.  A  Camphene  lamp, 
with  a  wick  one  inch  thick,  consumed  of  rectified  Naph- 
tha in  one  hour  II  ounces  of  fluid.  A  Carcel's  mechani- 
cal lamp  of  J  inch  wick,  consumed  of  best  Sperm  Oil,  per 
hour  2  ounces.  A  "Diamond  Light"  lamp,  with  " Sylvic 
Oil,"  and  a  wick  1J  inch  diameter  consumed,  per  hour, 
4  ounces. 


THE   DISCOVERY  OF  THE  VALUE    OF   PETROLEUM.  51 

I  have  submitted  the  lamp  burning  Petroleum  to  the 
inspection  of  the  most  experienced  lampists  who  were  ac- 
cessible to  me,  and  their  testimony  was,  that  the  lamp 
burning  this  fluid  gave  as  much  light  as  any  which  they 
had  seen,  that  the  oil  spent  more  economically,  and  the 
uniformity  of  the  light  was  greater  than  in  Camphene, 
burning  for  twelve  hours  without  a  sensible  diminution, 
and  without  smoke.  I  was,  however,  anxious  to  test  the 
amount  of  light  given,  more  accurately  than  could  be  done 
by  a  comparison  of  opinions.  With  your  approbation 
I  proceeded  therefore  to  have  constructed  a,  photometer,  or 
apparatus  for  the  measurement  of  light,  upon  an  improved 
plan.  Messrs.  Grunow,  scientific  artists  of  this  city, 
undertook  to  construct  this  apparatus,  and  have  done  so 
to  my  entire  satisfaction.  This  apparatus  I  shall  describe 
elsewhere — its  results  only  are  interesting  here.  By  its 
means  I  have  brought  the  Petroleum  light  into  rigid  com- 
parison with  the  most  important  means  of  artificial  il- 
lumination. Let  us  briefly  recapitulate  the  results  of 
these 

Photometric  Experiments. 

The  unit  adopted  for  comparison  of  intensities  of  il- 
lumination is  Judd's  Patent  Sixes  Sperm  Candle. 

The  Sperm  Oil  used  was  from  Edward  Mott  Robinson, 
of  New  Bedford — the  best  winter  Sperm  remaining  fluid 
at  32°  Fah.  The  Colza  Oil  and  Carcel's  lamps  were 
furnished  by  Dardonville,  lampist,  Broadway,  New  York. 
The  Gas  used  was  that  of  the  New  Haven  Gas  Light  Co., 
made  from  best  Newcastle  coal,  and  of  fair  average 
quality. 

The  distance  between  the  standard  candle,  and  the  il- 
luminator sought  to  be  determined,  was  constantly  150 
inches — the  Photometer  traversed  the  graduated  bar  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  read,  at  any  point  where  equality  of 


52  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

illumination  was  produced,  the  ratio  between  the  two 
lights.  I  quote  only  single  examples  of  the  average 
results,  and  with  as  little  detail  as  possible,  but  I  should 
state  that  the  operation  of  the  Photometer  was  so  satis- 
factory that  we  obtained  constantly  the  same  figures 
when  operating  in  the  same  way,  evening  after  evening, 
and  the  sensitiveness  of  the  instrument  was  such  that  a 
difference  of  one  half  inch  in  its  position  was  immediately 
detected  in  the  comparative  illumination  of  the  two  equal 
discs  of  light  in  the  dark  chamber.  This  is,  I  believe,  a 
degree  of  accuracy  not  before  obtained  by  a  Photometer. 
Table  of  illuminating  power  of  various  artificial  lights 
compared  with  Judd's  patent  candles  as  a  unit. 

Source  of  Light.  Ratio  to  Candle. — I. 

Gas  burning  in  Scotch  fish-tail  tips,  4  feet  to  the  hour I  15.4 

i<         «  «         «         «       ^         «          a  ..1:7  c " 

"         "         Cornelius    "         "       6         "         "       1:6.3 

"         "  English  Argand  burner  10         "         "       I  :  16. 

Rock  Oil,  burning  in    I  inch    wick    Camphene    Lamp,  consuming   I  3-4 

ounces  of  fluid  to  the  hour 1:8  I 

Carcel's  Mechanical  Lamp,  burning  best  Sperm  Oil,  2  ounces   of  fluid    to 

the  hour,  wick  7-8  of  an  inch. I  :  7.5 

Carcel's  "  "  "  "  "  "  Colza  Oil,  1:7.5 

Camphene  Lamp,  (same  size  as  Rock  Oil  above,)  burning  best  Camphene, 

4  fluid  ounces  per  hour I  :  II. 

"  Diamond  Light "  by    "  Sylvic  Oil,"   in    I  1-2  inch    wick,  4   ounces  per 

hour I  :8.l 

From  this  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Rock  Oil  Lamp 
was  somewhat  superior  in  illuminating  power  to  Carcel's 
Lamp  of  the  same  size,  burning  the  most  costly  of  all 
oils.  It  was  also  equal  to  the  a  Diamond  Light "  from  a 
lamp  of  one  half  greater  power,  and  consequently  is  su- 
perior to  it  in  the  same  ratio  in  lamps  of  equal  power. 
The  camphene  lamp  appears  to  be  about  one-fifth  superior 
to  it,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Rock  Oil  surpasses  the 
Camphene  by  more  than  one  half  in  economy  of  consump- 
tion, (i.  e.y  it  does  not  consume  one  half  so  much  fluid  by 
measure),  and  it  burns  more  constantly.  Compared  with 


THE   DISCOVERY   OF   THE   VALUE  OP   PETROLEUM.  53 

the  Sylvic  Oil  and  the  Sperm,  the  Rock  Oil  gave  on  the 
ground  glass  diaphragm,  the  whitest  disc  of  illumination, 
while  in  turn  the  Camphene  was  whiter  than  the  Rock 
Oil  light.  By  the  use  of  screens  of  different  colored  glass, 
all  inequalities  of  color  were  compensated  in  the  use  of 
the  photometer,  so  that  the  intensity  of  light  could  be 
more  accurately  compared.  Compared  with  Gas,  the 
Rock  Oil  gave  more  light  than  any  burner  used  except 
the  costly  Argand  consuming  ten  feet  of  gas  per  hour.  To 
compare  the  cost  of  these  several  fluids  with  each  other, 
we  know  the  price  of  the  several  articles,  and  this  varies 
very  much  in  different  places.  Thus,  gas  in  New  Haven 
costs  $4  per  1,000  feet,  and  in  New  York  $3.50  per  1,000, 
in  Philadelphia  $2.00  per  1,000  and  in  Boston  about  the 
same  amount. 

Such  Sperm  Oil  as  was  used  costs  $2.50  per  gallon,  the 
Colza  about  $2,  the  Sylvic  Oil  50  cents,  and  the  Camphene 
68  cents — no  price  has  been  fixed  upon  for  the  rectified 
Rock  Oil. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  expressing  my  satisfaction  at  the 
results  of  these  photometric  experiments,  since  they  have 
given  the  Oil  of  your  Company  a  much  higher  value  as 
an  illuminator  than  I  had  dared  to  hope. 

Use  of  the  Rock  Oil  as  a  Lubricator  for  Machinery. 

A  portion  of  the  rectified  oil  was  sent  to  Boston  to  be 
tested  upon  a  trial  apparatus  there,  but  I  regret  to  say 
that  the  results  have  not  been  communicated  to  me  yet. 
As  this  oil  does  not  gum  or  become  acid  or  rancid  by  ex- 
posure, it  possesses  in  that,  as  well  as  in  its  wonderful  re- 
sistance to  extreme  cold,  important  qualities  for  a  lubri- 
cator. 

Conclusion. 

In  conclusion,  gentlemen,  it  appears  to  me  that  there 
is  much  ground  for  encouragement  in  the  belief  that  your 


54  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

Company  have  in  their  possession  a  raw  material  from 
which,  by  simple  and  not  expensive  process,  they  may 
manufacture  very  valuable  products. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  my  experiments  prove  that 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  raw  product  may  be  manufactured 
without  waste,  and  this  solely  by  a  well  directed  process 
which  is  in  practice  one  of  the  most  simple  of  all  chemi- 
cal processes. 

There  are  suggestions  of  a  practical  nature,  as  to  the 
economy  of  your  manufacture,  when  you  are  ready  to 
begin  operations,  which  I  shall  be  happy  to  make,  should 
the  company  require  it — meanwhile,  I  remain,  gentle- 
men, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

B.  SILLIMAN,  JR., 
Professor  of  Chemistry  in  Yale  College. 


NEW  HAVEN,  APRIL  16,  1855. 


FiARTiY  AND  INTEEESTING  FACTS.  55 


CHAPTER  III. 

EARLY   AND   INTERESTING   FACTS. 

WE  now  approach  that  interesting  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  Petroleum  in  America,  which  witnessed  the 
first  movement   toward   a   practical   development  of  its 
astounding  resources. 

The  reader  who  has  carefully  scanned  the  report  to 
Mr.  Bissell  and  others,  submitted  in  the  last  chapter,  will 
have  observed  that,  however  it  may  have  been  with  him- 
self, the  existence  of  Petroleum  was  not  a  novelty  to 
scientific  minds. 

While  he  will  perceive  with  admiration,  the  complete- 
ness and  comprehensiveness  with  which  every  phase  of 
the  subject  was  examined,  and  reflect  with  astonishment 
upon  the  manner  in  which  every  mode  of  treatment  was 
foreshadowed,  it  cannot  fail  to  strike  the  reader  as  re- 
markable, that  notwithstanding  the  value  of  this  product 
to  our  country,  has  been  about  nine  hundred  millions 
of  dollars  ;  notwithstanding,  (thirteen  years  have  elapsed 
since  the  first  well  was  sunk)  and  the  total  number  of 
wells  since  sunk  to  obtain  it  must  reach  twenty  thousand, 
its  origin  has  not  yet  been  absolutely  determined.  Indeed 
very  little  more  is  known  than  was  conjectured  by  the 
rash  pioneers,  who  only  just  failed  of  achieving  the  de- 
velopment nearly  a  generation  earlier,  in  the  valleys  of 
the  Ohio  and  Kanawha.  We  shall  follow  up  the  history 
of  that  development,  which  has  since  proved  to  be  of  so 
great  importance  to  the  prosperity  of  the  country,  and  the 
comfort  and  convenience  of  mankind. 

Bearing  in  mind  the  frequent  appearance  of  Petroleum 


56  HISTORY   OF    PETROLEUM. 

in  the  salt  wells  of  the  Kanawha  valley  in  Virginia,  and 
along  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mus- 
kingum,  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  hear  of  its 
appearance  in  the  salt  wells  of  Tarentum,  on  the  Al- 
legany  river,  twenty  miles  above  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  But 
its  appearance  at  this  place  was  singular,  in  so  far  that 
instead  of  appearing  where  the  wells  were  first  sunk, 
many  of  them  were  successfully  pumped  for  brine  for  a 
long  time  before  the  manifestations  of  oil  disturbed  opera- 
tions. Mr.  Kier,  who  together  with  his  father  was  a  large 
owner  in  these  salt  works,  states  that  one  well  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river,  after  having  been  pumped  con- 
stantly for  twenty  years  without  a  show  of  Petroleum, 
passed  to  new  owners,  who  rigged  it  with  a  new  engine  of 
greater  power,  and  in  a  few  days  it  began  to  yield  four  or 
five  barrels  per  day. 

The  wells  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  owned  by  S.  M. 
Kier  and  his  father,  had  for  years  previous  yielded  a  small 
quantity  of  Petroleum,  which  being  suffered  to  waste  for 
a  long  time,  spread  itself  over  the  surface  of  the  old  canal, 
and  became  accidentally  ignited,  when  it  came  so  near 
causing  the  destruction  of  a  large  amount  of  property,  as 
well  as  endangering  human  life,  that  it  was  afterwards 
poured  upon  the  ground. 

About  the  year  1849,  Mr.  Kier,  Jr.,  conceived  the 
thought  of  putting  it  up  in  bottles  and  selling  it  as  a 
specific  remedy  for  all  the  ills  of  life.  He  opened  an  es- 
tablishment in  Pittsburgh,  where  it  was  put  up  in  half 
pint  bottles,  which  were  wrapped  in  the  following  descrip- 
tive sheet,  and  sold  for  a  half  dollar  apiece : 

KIER'S 

PETROLEUM,  OB  ROCK  OIL,  CELEBRATED  FOR  ITS  WONDERFUL  CURATIVE  POWERS. 
A  NATURAL  REMEDY  !  PROCURED  FROM  A  WELL  IN  ALLEGANY  Co.,  PA., 
FOUR  HUNDRED  FEET  BELOW  THE  EARTH'S  SURFACE.  PUT  UP  AND  SOLD  BY 
SAMUEL  M.  KIER,  363  LIBERTY  STREET,  PITTSBURGH,  PENN'A. 


EARLY   AND   INTERESTING   FACTS.  57 

The  healthful  balm,  from  Nature's  secret  spring, 
The  bloom  of  health  and  life,  to  man  will  bring ; 
As  from  her  depths  the  magic  liquid  flows, 
To  calm  our  sufferings,  and  assuage  our  woes. 


THE  PETEOLEUM  HAS  BEEN  FULLY  TESTED  !  It  was  placed  before  the  public  as 
a  REMEDY  OF  WONDERFUL  EFFICACY.  Every  one  not  acquainted  with  its  virtues, 
doubted  its  healing  properties.  The  cry  of  humbug  was  raised  against  it.  It  had 
some  friends — those  that  were  cured  through  its  wonderful  agency.  These  spoke  out 
in  its  favor.  The  lame,  through  its  instrumentality  were  made  to  walk — the  blind, 
to  see.  Those  who  had  suffered  for  years  under  the  torturing  pains  of  RHEUMATISM, 
GOUT  AND  NEURALGIA,  were  restored  to  health  and  usefulness.  Several  who  were 
blind,  have  been  made  to  see,  the  evidence  of  which  will  be  placed  before  you.  If  you 
still  have  doubts,  go  and  ask  those  who  have  been  cured  !  Some  of  them  live  in  our 
midst,  and  can  answer  for  themselves.  In  writing  about  a  medicine,  we  are  aware 
that  we  should  write  TRUTH— that  we  should  make  no  statements  that  cannot  be 
proved.  We  have  the  witnesses :  crowds  of  them,  who  will  testify  in  terms  stronger 
than  we  can  write  them,  to  the  efficacy  of  this  remedy ;  who  will  testify  that  the  Pe- 
troleum has  done  for  them  what  no  medicine  ever  could  before :  cases  that  were  pro- 
nounced hopeless,  and  beyond  the  reach  of  remedial  means;  cases  abandoned  by 
Physicians  of  unquestionable  celebrity,  have  been  made  to  exclaim,  "  THIS  IS  THE 
MOST  WONDERFUL  REMEDY  YET  DISCOVERED  !"  We  will  lay  before  you  the  cer- 
tificates of  some  of  the  most  remarkable  cases  :  to  give  them  all,  would  require  more 
space  than  would  be  allowed  by  this  circular.  Since  the  introduction  of  the  Petro- 
leum, many  Physicians  have  been  convinced  of  its  efficacy,  and  now  recommend  it  in 
their  practice ;  and  we  have  no  doubt  that  it  will  stand  at  the  head  of  the  list  of 
valuable  Remedies.  If  the  Physicians  do  not  recommend  it  the  people  will  have  it 
of  themselves ;  for  its  transcendent  power  to  heal  WILL  and  MUST  become  known  and 
appreciated;  when  the  voices  of  the  cured  speak  out;  when  the  cures  themselves  stand 
out  in  bold  relief,  and  when  he  who  for  years  has  suffered  with  the  tortures  and 
pangs  of  an  immedicable  legion,  that  has  been  shortening  his  days  and  hastening  him 
"  to  the  narrow  house  appointed  for  all  the  living,"  when  he  speaks  out  in  its  praise, 
who  will  doubt  it  ?  The  Petroleum  is  a  Natural  Remedy ;  it  is  put  up  as  it  flows 
from  the  bosom  of  the  earth,  without  anything  being  added  to  or  taken  from  it. 

It  gets  its  ingredients  from  the  beds  of  substances  which  it  passes  over  in  its  secret 
channel.  They  are  blended  together  in  such  a  form  as  to  defy  all  human  competition. 
The  Petroleum,  in  this  respect,  is  like  Mineral  Water,  whose  virtues  in  most  chronic 
diseases,  are  acknowledged,  not  only  by  Physicians,  but  by  the  community  at  large. 
These  singular  fluids  flowing  out  of  the  earth,  impregnated  with  medicinal  substances 
of  different  properties,  and  holding  them  in  such  complete  solution  as  to  require  the 
aid  of  Chemistry  in  order  to  detect  them,  bear  ample  proof  to  the  fact  that  they  are 
compounded  by  the  master  hand  of  Nature,  for  the  alleviation  of  human  suffering 
and  disease.  If  Petroleum  is  medicine  at  all,  it  is  a  good  one,  for  Nature  never  half 
does  her  work;  and  that  it  is  a  medicine  of  unequalled  power  we  have  the  most  abun- 
dant testimony.  It  will  be  used  when  many  of  the  new  remedies  now  in  vogue  will 
have  been  forgotten  forever.  It  will  continue  to  be  used  and  applied  as  a  Remedy 
as  long  as  man  continues  to  be  afflicted  with  disease.  That  it  will  cure  every  disease 
to  which  we  are  liable,  we  do  not  pretend ;  but  that  it  will  cure  a  great  many  diseases 
hitherto  incurable,  is  a  fact  which  is  proven  by  the  evidence  in  its  favor.  Its  dis- 
covery is  a  new  era  in  medicine,  and  will  inure  to  the  health  and  happiness  of  man. 

All  of  which  was  followed  by  about  a  hundred  testi- 


58  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

monials  of  wonderful  cures  of  hopelessly  incurable  dis- 
eases. 

In  fact,  after  the  manner  of  patent  medicines  in  our  own 
day,  it  was  declared  perfectly  capable  of  doing  or  undoing 
whatsoever  anybody  could  wish  done  or  undone.  It  was 
trundled  around  the  country  by  agents  who  traveled  in 
vehicles  decorated  in  gilt,  with  pictures  of  the  good  Sa- 
maritan ministering  to  a  sufferer,  writhing  in  inhuman 
contortions  under  a  palm  tree. 

Although  the  oil  cost  him  next  to  nothing,  as  it  was 
obtained  from  his  own  wells  which  were  pumped  for  salt, 
and  for  a  long  time  he  could  not  dispose  of  even  the  whole 
of  the  two  or  three  barrels  a  day  produced,  yet  the  ex- 
pense of  introducing  it  as  a  medicine  in  this  way  con- 
sumed the  profits.  As  the  stuff,  however,  possessed 
considerable  medicinal  virtue,  the  demand  continued  to 
increase  until  quite  a  valuable  trade  was  established, 
when  he  withdrew  his  agents  and  furnished  it  exclusively 
through  the  drug  stores. 

This  at  first  left  quite  a  quantity  on  hand,  for  his  sales 
sensibly  fell  off  for  a  while,  after  the  agents  were  with- 
drawn in  1852,  and  having  previously  burned  the  crude 
oils  at  the  wells,  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  utilize 
this  surplus  if  he  could  Only  devise  some  way  of  render- 
ing it  less  offensive,  in  the  way  of  smoke  and  odor. 

The  most  obvious  suggestion  was  to  distil  it.  This  he 
accomplished  by  fitting  a  caldron  kettle  with  a  cover  and 
a  worm.  The  first  result  was  a  dark  distillate,  little 
better  than  the  crude  itself;  but  after  he  learned  to  manage 
his  fires  so  as  not  to  send  it  over  too  rapidly,  he  produced 
by  twice  distilling,  an  article  about  the  color  of  clear  cider, 
which,  like  all  distillates,  had  an  odor  infinitely  more 
offensive  than  the  crude  Petroleum,  and  as  he  knew  noth- 
ing of  treating  it  with  acids,  as  is  done  at  the  present 
time — as  indeed  was  extensively  done  very  shortly  after 


EARLY   AND   INTERESTING   FACTS.  59 

that  time  with  coal  oil — he  seemed  to  be  progressing  very 
slowly  toward  the  production  of  an  illuminator. 

After  some  improvement  on  the  camphene  lamp,  how- 
ever, he  perceived  with  joy  that  his  distillate  would 
burn  without  smoking,  provided  the  flame  was  kept  low 
enough  and  the  lamp  left  perfectly  quiet.  From  this  rude 
beginning,  he  went  on  improving  both  the  quality  of  his 
fluid  and  the  adaptability  of  his  lamp,  thus  manufacturing 
and  selling  for  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  gallon  all  the  Petro- 
leum he  could  not  dispose  of  as  a  medicine,  for  burning, 
till  at  last  by  the  introduction  of  the  "  Virna  burner"  and 
the  treatment  of  his  distillate  with  acids  he  had  brought 
the  matter  nearly  to  its  present  state  of  perfection,  when 
the  first  Petroleum  well  in  Venango  County  broke  his 
monopoly,  and  put  an  end  to  the  manufacture  of  coal  oil 
in  the  United  States. 

Up  to  the  time  when  his  first  attempts  to  utilize  Petro- 
leum for  a  burning  fluid,  a  very  little  of  which  had  been 
collected  on  Oil  Creek  by  absorption  in  blankets,  from 
which  it  was  wrung,  amounting  in  all  perhaps  to  a  couple 
of  barrels  per  month,  the  principal  part  of  which  was 
gathered  from  a  spring  which  bubbled  up  in  the  middle 
of  the  creek  on  the  M'Clintock  Farm,  three  miles  above 
Oil  City. 

Many  writers  have  given  very  exaggerated  accounts  of 
the  quantity  of  oil  exuding  from  these  springs,  and  con- 
vey to  the  reader  the  impression  that  the  surface  of  the 
creek  was  an  unbroken  sheet  of  Petroleum,  while  the 
truth  is,  only  in  high  water,  when  the  freshets  brought 
down  that  which  had  collected  in  the  bays,  was  it  at  all 
noticeable. 

•  The  spring  next  in  importance  was  near  the  northern 
line  of  the  county  on  the  lands  of  Brewer,  Watson  &  Co. 
It  was  beside  this  spring  the  first  artesian  well  was  sunk 
for  Petroleum,  and  this  also  seems  to  have  been  the  prin- 


60  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

cipal  scene  of  development  in  early  times,  for  here  are 
still  to  be  traced  many  pits,  cribbed  with  roughly  hewn 
timbers  preserved  beneath  the  accumulation  of  centuries. 
The  first  written  document  looking  to  a  mechanical 
development  is  the  following  between  J.  D.  Angier,  still  a 
resident  of  Titusville,  and  the  firm  of  Brewer,  Watson  & 
Co.,  consisting  of  Ebenezer  Brewer  and  James  Rynd,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  Jonathan  Watson,  Rexford  Pierce  and 
Elijah  Newberry  of  Titusville,  associated  in  an  extensive 
lumbering  business  on  Oil  Creek : 

The  Agreement. 

"Agreed  this  fourth  day  of  July,  A.  D.  1853,  with  J. 
D.  Angier  of  Cherrytree  Township,  in  the  county  of 
Venango,  Pa.,  that  he  shall  repair  up  and  keep  in  order 
the  old  oil  spring  on  land  in  said  Cherrytree  Township, 
or  dig  and  make  new  springs,  and  the  expenses  to  be 
deducted  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  oil,  and  the  balance, 
if  any,  to  be  equally  divided,  the  one  half  to  J.  D.  Angier 
and  the  other  half  to  Brewer,  Watson  &  Co.,  for  the  full 
term  of  five  years  from  this  date.  If  profitable." 

f  BREWER,  WATSON  &  Co. 
\  J.  D.  ANGIER. 

Following  out  the  spirit  of  his  agreement,  Mr.  Angier 
proceeded  at  once  to  erect  some  slight  works  for  collect- 
ing the  oil.  A  few  rude  trenches  were  dug,  centering  in 
a  common  basin  from  which  the  water  was  raised  by  a 
pump,  connected  with  the  saw  mill  of  Brewer,  Watson  & 
Co.,  into  a  series  of  broad  shallow  troughs,  shelving  off  to 
the  ground.  Where  the  water  passed  from  each  trough 
into  the  next,  was  rigged  an  ingenious  little  skimmer  ad-  * 
justed  just  under  the  surface  of  the  water,  so  as  to  col- 
lect the  oil. 

The  water  passing  under  was  again  agitated  by  the  fall 


EARLY  AND  INTERESTING  FACTS.  61 

which  favored  a  further  separation  of  the  oil,  which  was 
collected  as  before  by  the  skimmer  at  the  end  of  the 
trough.  In  this  manner  three  or  four  gallons  a  day  were 
collected,  and  even  as  high  as  six  gallons,  where  the 
ground  had  been  recently  agitated  by  digging,  but  the  ex- 
pense consumed  the  profit,  and  after  a  few  months,  the 
experiment  was  suffered  to  drop. 

Mr.  Angier  describes  a  remarkable  phenomenon  ob- 
served in  this  method  of  obtaining  Petroleum.  While 
digging  in  the  gravelly  clay,  three  or  four  feet  beneath 
the  surface,  the  workmen  frequently  struck  "pockets"  of 
oil  often  containing  a  quart. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  1854,  Dr.  F.  B.  Brewer, 
whose  father  was  at  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Brewer,  Wat- 
son &  Co.,  visited  relatives  at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire, 
and  carried  a  bottle  of  Petroleum  to  Professor  Crosby,  of 
Dartmouth  College,  where  he  had  graduated  some  ten 
years  before. 

A  few  weeks  later  George  H.  Bissell,  a  native  of  the 
town  and  a  graduate  of  the  same  College,  but  then  prac- 
ticing law  in  New  York  city,  while  on  a  visit  to  his 
mother  called  to  spend  an  evening  with  his  old  tutor, 
Prof.  Crosby,  and  was  shown  the  Petroleum,  upon  the 
wonderful  properties  of  which  the  Professor  expatiated 
with  great  enthusiasm. 

Coal  oil  was  then  just  being  introduced  in  the  eastern 
states  for  illuminating  and  lubricating,  and  the  similarity 
of  the  products,  naturally  suggested  the  question  why 
Petroleum  might  not  be  used  for  the  same  purpose.  Of 
Mr.  Kier's  attempts  in  that  direction,  nothing  was  of 
course  known.  They  were  upon  too  limited  a  scale  to 
attract  attention.  The  only  doubt  was  as  to  the  supply  ; 
and  that  was  of  course  a  serious  doubt. 

Coal  oil  was  selling  for  a  dollar  a  gallon,  and  from  the 
glowing  description,  which  had  been  given  of  the  spring 


62  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

by  Dr.  Brewer,  it  seemed  reasonable  to  hope  that  many 
thousand  gallons  might  be  collected  annually. 

Professor  Crosby  had  a  son,  who  was  ready  for  any  en- 
terprise that  promised  a  chance  of  making  money.  He 
seems  to  have  been  persuaded  from  the  first,  that  the  oil 
spring  was  a  humbug,  but  he  had  the  penetration  to  see 
that  it  was  a  humbug  of  the  "taking  "  sort ;  and  dilating 
on  the  representations  of  Dr.  Brewer,  he  induced  Mr. 
Bissell,  on  certain  conditions  to  pay  the  expenses  of  a 
trip  to  Titusville,  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  spring. 
The  most  obvious  method  of  handling  such  a  piece  of 
property  for  the  purpose  of  making  money,  was  to  throw 
it  into  a  joint-stock  company. 

If  he  brought  back  a  favorable  report  of  the  spring, 
Mr.  Bissell  pledged  himself  to  organize  the  company  and 
launch  the  enterprise  on  the  New  York  stock  market. 

Mr.  Bissell  authorized  him  to  propose  to  the  firm  of 
Brewer,  Watson  &  Co.,  the  formation  of  a  joint-stock 
company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $250,000,  divided  into 
ten  thousand  shares  of  twenty-five  dollars  each — Brewer, 
Watson  &  Co.,  to  receive  one  fifth  of  the  whole  stock ; 
and  five  thousand  dollars  for  the  tract  containing  the  oil 
spring,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  first  money  realized  from  the 
sale  of  treasury  stock,  which  was  also  to  be  one  fifth  of 
the  whole.  Mr.  Crosby  was  to  take  one  fifth,  and  assume 
one  fifth  of  the  expense  of  getting  up  the  company,  while 
the  other  two  fifths  were  to  remunerate  Mr.  Bissell,  and 
his  associate  in  Law,  Mr.  Eveleth,  for  the  trouble  of  or- 
ganization. 

To  this  Dr.  Brewer,  as  the  agent  of  Brewer,  Watson  & 
Co.,  replied  in  the  following  letter,  a  copy  of  which  has 
been  preserved  and  is  furnished  by  Dr.  Brewer : 

GENTLEMEN, — 

We  have  received  through  Mr.    A.  H.  Crosby,  your 


EAELY   AND    INTERESTING   FACTS.  63 

proposals  to  put  in  market  in  a  joint-stock  company,  cer- 
tain springs  yielding  a  peculiar  oil  surpassing  in  value 
any  other  oil  now  in  use  for  burning,  for  lubricating 
machinery,  and  as  a  medicinal  agent. 

The  springs  yielding  this  oil,  are  situated  on  Oil  Creek 
in  Venango  county,  near  the  corner  of  Warren  and  Craw- 
ford counties,  and  cover  a  large  surface  of  territory.  • 

The  yield  is  abundant,  and  is  believed  to  be  inexhausti- 
ble. We  have  some  simple  machinery  constructed  at  an 
expense  of,  say  two  hundred  dollars,  that  yields  on  an 
average  to  each  spring  worked  three  gallons  per  day,  re- 
quiring perhaps  one  day  in  a  week  the  attention  of  one 
man,  which  when  estimated  with  regard  to  the  percent- 
age, will  show  as  follows  : 

Capital  invested  $200,  int.,  at  10  per  cent.. ..$20 
Two  months  of  run  $20  per  month 40 

Total.         $60 

The  cost  of  raising  1.095  gallons  of  oil,  worth  here 
seventy-five  cents  per  gallon,  making  $821.25.  Deduct- 
ing expenses  $60  leaves  $761.25. 

Now  this  is  only  one  spring,  and  worked  very  imper- 
fectly, but  actually  paying  an  interest  on  $10,000. 

I  make  these  figures  as  they  are,  and  have  been  when- 
ever the  spring  has  been  worked,  and  this  is  no  fancy 
thing  for  a  stock,  but  an  exceedingly  large  paying  stock, 
and  one  that  with  proper  machinery  would  afford  a  much 
larger  percentage. 

Now  your  proposition,  as  far  as  it  goes,  is  satisfactory ; 
but  it  does  not  go  far  enough  to  guarantee  to  us  a  certain 
quid  pro  quo  for  what  we  have  paying  us  now.  And  in 
asking  us  who  will  represent  only  one  fifth  of  the  com- 
pany to  furnish  the  actual  capital  gratuitously,  to  the 
other  four  fifths,  for  what  we  expect  to  realize  OR  one 


64  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

fifth,  is  not  perhaps  asking  too  much,  but  it  would  in  our 
opinion  be  granting  too  much. 

There  are  other  parties  in  Pittsburgh  who  were  very  so- 
licitous to  put  the  thing  in  market  a  year  ago  by  purchas- 
ing our  interest,  but  we  prefer  the  plan  you  suggest  if  you 
will  warrant  us  a  certain  amount  for  our  premises ;  and 
we  will  propose  as  follows :  Pay  to  Brewer,  Watson  &  Co. 
$5,000,  to  be  reimbursed  to  the  stock  company  from  the 
first  sale  of  stock,  or  as  you  may  deem  proper  in  any  way, 
and  we  will  assign  or  deed  to  the  company,  the  right  to  go 
on  and  erect  such  machinery  as  the  company  may  think 
proper,  to  procure  oil  on  a  certain  one  hundred  acres  of 
land  known  here  aS  the  Willard  Farm,  and  embracing 
most  of  the  oil  territory  as  yet  discovered,  and  further,  all 
springs  on  our  other  lands  adjoining,  not  interfering  with 
our  lumbering  and  farming  interests. 

This  will  give  us  an  equivalent,  or  partially  so,  for  what 
we  furnish  the  company ;  and  we  wish  the  company  to  pay 
from  the  sale  of  stock  its  current  expenses,  whatever  they 
may  be,  and  by  sale  of  stock  to  provide  for  a  dividend,  if 
thought  best — such  stock  to  have  preference  over  all  other 
except  for  the  reimbursement  of  the  purchase  money. 
The  other  stock  should  be  sold  as  you  propose.  These,  gen- 
tlemen, are  our  views,  hastily  thrown  together.  If  the 
general  outlines  meet  your  favor  the  minutia  can  be  ar- 
ranged with  you  in  New  York." 

After  spending  a  few  weeks  with  Dr.  Brewer,  Mr.  Crosby 
hurried  back  to  Hanover  to  report,  but  finding  that  Mr. 
Bissell  had  returned  to  New  York  he  forwarded  the  letter, 
of  which  the  above  is  a  copy,  to  Mr.  Eveleth,  who  was  in 
Maine,  and  apparently  not  comprehending  its  terms  he 
hastened  after  Mr.  Bissell,  and  reported  his  proposition  ac- 
cepted. Mr.  Bissell  announced  himself  satisfied,  and  at 
once  began  the  preliminary  arrangement  for  organizing  the 


EARLY  AND   INTERESTING  FACTS.  65 

company.  In  a  gush  of  innocent  satisfaction  with  the 
success  of  his  negotiations  Mr.  Crosby  telegraphed  to  Dr. 
Brewer  that  his  proposition  was  accepted.  He  returned 
again  to  New  Hampshire,  and  a  few  days  later  he  wrote 
the  following : 

HANOVER,  N.  H.,  September  11,  1854. 
MY  DEAR  DOCTOR, 

I  intended  to  have  written  you  again  before  leaving  the 
city,  but  as  I  was  very  busy,  and  as  the  main  question 
was  settled  by  my  telegram  of  the  Monday  previous,  I 
concluded  to  wait  until  my  return  home. 

I  cannot  now  tell  you  exactly  when  we  shall  be  ready  to 
meet  you  in  New  York,  but  will  write  next  Monday  again, 
and  shall  then  be  able  to  tell  you  when  you  had  better 
start. 

The  oil  I  suppose  you  can  take  with  you  to  Erie,  and 
ship  it  so  that  it  will  be  in  New  York  nearly  as  soon  as 
you  are,  and  that  will  be  in  sufficient  season  to  offer  it  for 
exhibition,  as  we  shall  then  have  circulars,  stock-books, 
and  everything  else  ready  to  issue  to  a  gullible  public." 

But  this  gulling  of  the  public,  is  not  an  enterprise  of 
unmitigated  interest  with  men  who  have  everything  to 
gain,  and  Eveleth  &  Bissell  having  considerable  to  lose, 
objected  to  this  scheme  in  so  far  that  ten  days  later  this 
embryo  broker,  curbing  his  wild  ambition  to  surge  into 
the  stock  exchange,  and  get  up  a  panic  with  his  "  fancy," 
writes  Dr.  Brewer  to  the  effect  that  after  a  "  long  talk  " 
with  Eveleth  and  Bissell  it  was  decided  to  "  put  the  thing 
through  by  daylight." 

Thus  vanished  his  bright  dream  of  oil  spring  "  fancy" 
at  a  premium  of  five  hundred  per  cent.,  and  his  enthusi- 
asm thenceforward  continued  to  wane. 

Shortly  afterward,  l)r.  Brewer,  empowered  as  the  attor- 
5 


66  HISTOKY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

ney  of  the  lumbering  firm,  visited  New  York  city  to  ratify 
the  terms  of  sale  and  contract,  but  the  letter  which  Crosby 
had  forwarded  to  Mr.  Eveleth  having  been  lost  in  the 
mails,  the  result  was  a  general  misunderstanding. 

Eveleth  &  Bissell  suspecting  that  Crosby  had  intention- 
ally deceived  them — which  was  surely  not  the  case — now 
refused  to  credit  his  statements  as  to  the  value  of  the 
springs,  dismissed  Dr.  Brewer,  and  peremptorily  dropped 
the  whole  matter.  But  they  had  already  incurred  obli- 
gations to  the  extent  of  several  hundred  dollars  for  seals, 
certificates  of  stock,  stock  books,  etc.  On  the  eve  of  his 
departure  for  Titus ville,  they  sent  a  line  to  his  hotel,  say- 
ing they  would  reconsider  the  matter,  and  inviting  him 
to  call.  He  did  so,  and  an  arrangement  was  effected  on 
substantially  the  same  basis  as  before  proposed;  but 
Crosby,  who  was  unable  to  meet  his  portion  of  the 
expenses,  was  left  entirely  out  of  the  bargain.  The  agree- 
ment to  sell  ratified,  for  their  better  information,  it  was 
decided  that  one  of  them  should  visit  the  locality  at  once, 
and  examine  the  spring,  and  bring  away  a  draft  from 
which  a  map  could  be  made. 

The  oil  which  had  been  sent  on  to  Mr.  Bissell  was  dis- 
tributed for  examination  among  several  prominent  chem- 
ists, and  a  week  or  two  later  he  wrote  the  following  letter, 
which  may  convey  some  idea  of  what  it  cost,  both  in  time 
and  money,  to  bring  about  the  organization  of  the  com- 
pany and  to  procure  the  analysis  of  the  Petroleum,  which 
must  be  regarded  as  the  most  important  step  in  all  these 
negotiations,  if  we  accept  only  the  birth  of  the  great  fact 
which  made  development  possible.  Messrs.  Eveleth  & 
Bissell  were  young  men,  and  though  possessed  of  consi- 
derable means,  did  not  rank  among  the  "heavy"  of  New 
York,  and  the  whole  expense  of  the  organization  and  the 
analysis  was  advanced  by  them  in  one  of  the  most  strin- 
gent seasons  that  has  ever  marked  the  financial  history 


EARLY   AND   INTERESTING    FACTS.  67 

of  our  country.  It  was  done,  too,  at  a  sacrifice  of  personal 
convenience,  which  could  only  have  been  prompted  by  an 
earnest  faith  in  the  ultimate  success  of  their  enterprise — 
but  the  letter: 

NEW  YORK,  Nov.  6,  1854. 
F.  B.  BREWER,  ESQ.  : 

Dear  Sir:  We  have  had  to  encounter  many  obsta- 
cles in  the  way  of  organizing  our  joint-stock  company, 
and  shall  be  unable  to  get  out  our  papers  at  the  time  ori- 
ginally proposed. 

Mr.  Eveleth  will  go  on  at  the  earliest  possible  period, 
and  will  then  be  prepared  to  arrange  everything  to  our 
mutual  satisfaction.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that  it  will 
be  possible  for  Mr.  Eveleth  to  arrive  in  Titusville  before 
the  18th  or  20th  inst. 

We  have  obtained  our  stock-books,  certificates  of  stock, 
signs,  &c.,  &c.,  and  have  done  everything  to  insure  success 
when  we  fairly  get  under  way.  We  have  forwarded  seve- 
ral gallons  of  the  oil  to  Mr.  Atwood  of  Boston,  an  eminent 
chemist,  and  his  report  of  the  qualities  of  the  oil  and  the 
uses  to  which  it  may  be  applied  are  very  favorable.  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  of  Yale  College  is  giving  it  a  thorough 
analysis,  and  he  informs  us  that  so  far  as  he  has  yet  tested 
it,  he  is  of  opinion  that  it  contains  a  large  proportion  of 
benzole  and  naphtha,  and  that  it  will  be  found  more  valu- 
able for  purposes  of  application  to  the  arts  than  as  a  me- 
dicinal, burning  or  lubricating  fluid. 

Our*  expense  of  a  thorough  analysis  will  be  very  heavy; 
but  we  think  the  money  will  be  well  spent.  We  send 
you  a  proof-sheet  of  our  certificate  of  stock.  The  book 
will  be  printed  of  course  on  bank-note  paper. 

Let  us  hear  from  you  at  your  earliest  convenience,  and 
believe  us,  Very  truly  yours, 

EVELETH  &  BISSELL. 


68  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

The  whole  cost  of  the  analysis,  including  the  photome- 
trical  comparison,  for  which  a  new  and  improved  instru- 
ment was  especially  provided,  was  between  eleven  and 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  every  cent  of  which  was  advanced 
by  these  young  men. 

The  above  letter  is  the  first  that  bears  the  seal  of  The 
Pennsylvania  Eock  Oil  Company;  but  as  the  company 
came  not  into  legal  existence  till  nearly  two  months  later, 
it  was  probably  applied  in  obedience  to  a  whim,  or  per- 
haps to  give  their  correspondent  an  idea  of  its  impression. 


KEAL   ESTATE   TRANSACTIONS   ON  OIL  CREEK.  69 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REAL   ESTATE   TRANSACTIONS  ON   OIL   CREEK. 

rPHE  first  deed  from  Brewer,  Watson  &  Co.,  bears  date 
four  days  later,  and  conveyed  in  fee  simple  to  George  H. 
Bissell  and  Jonathan  G.  Eveleth,  of  New  York  city,  one 
hundred  and  five  acres  of  land  in   Cherrytree  Township, 
Venango  county,  Pennsylvania,  embracing  the  island  at 
the  junction  of  Pine  Creek  and  Oil  Creek,  on  which  a 
part  of  the  works  of  the  lumbering  firm  were  situated.     It 
was  on  this  island  that  Mr.  Angier's  trenches  were  dug, 
and  the  first  artesian  well  bored  for  Petroleum  five  years 
afterwards.  The  consideration  for  the  property  mentioned 
in  the  deed  was  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  though  the 
real  consideration  was  but  five  thousand.     It  was  thought 
that  if  the  consideration  should  appear  to  be  such  an  in- 
significant fraction  of  the  capital  stock  it  would  be  more 
difficult  to   dispose   of  the  shares,  and   therefore,  as   is 
usually  done  in  the  formation  of  joint  stock  companies, 
the  land  was  put  in  at  a  figure  far  above  its  cost.     The 
deed,  though  dated  on  the  10th  of  November,  was  not 
formally  executed  till  the  first  of  January  following,  for 
the  reason  that  Messrs.  Eveleth  and  Bissell  had  opened 
negotiations   with   a  party  of  gentlemen  in  New  Haven, 
under  whose  notice  the  matter  had  been  brought  by  Prof. 
Silliman,  who  evinced  an  inclination  to  subscribe  for  a 
large  portion  of  the  stock,  and  in  case  they  did,  it  was 
proposed  to  place  one  or  more  of  their  number  on  the 
board    of    directors,  and   have    the    property   conveyed 
directly  from  Brewer,  Watson  and  Co.,  to  The  Pennsyl- 
vania Rock  Oil  Company.     But  this  failing,  Eveleth  and 
Bissell  gave  their  joint  and  several  notes  for  the  purchase 


70  HISTOEY  OP  PETROLEUM. 

money,  save  five  hundred  dollars  paid  in  cash,  and  on  the 
first  day  of  January  the  deed  was  executed  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  living  in  Titusville,  and  four  days  after- 
wards by  the  remaining  members  in  Pittsburgh.  It  was 
asserted  in  a  paper  on  this  subject  which  appeared  in  the 
Atlantic  Monthly  y  for  1869,  that  Dr.  Brewer  never  received 
pay  for  his  land,  which  is  quite  untrue ;  for  though  Dr. 
Brewer  never  had  anything  to  do  with  the  land  except  in 
the  capacity  of  agent  for  his  father  and  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  firm,  the  notes  he  received  were  certainly 
paid  for;  they  were  all  found  cancelled,  and  with  pay- 
ment indorsed,  among  papers  submitted  by  Mr.  Bissell. 
This  may  seem  a  matter  of  trifling  interest  in  the  history 
of  the  vast  industry  born  of  these  transactions,  but  as 
well  as  being  a  piece  of  personal  injustice,  it  is  a  palpable 
absurdity,  for  Mr.  Bissell  afterwards  acquired,  and  per- 
haps still  retains,  an  immense  amount  of  property  in  the 
county,  that  would  have  been  liable  for  those  debts. 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1854,  the  folio  wing  certificate 
of  incorporation  was  filed,  as  by  law  required,  with  the 
Recorder  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  also  at  Albany 
with  the  Secretary  of  State  : 

(  "  Certificate  of  Incorporation  of  the 
\    Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company. 

f  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK, 

(       CITY  AND  COUNTY  OF  NEW  YORK,  ss. 

Be  it  known  that  we,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby 
associate  ourselves  as  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  pur- 
suant to  the  N.  Y.  Revised  Statutes,  4th  edition,  vol.  1st, 
Chap.  18th,  Art.  2d,  and  also  Laws  of  New  York,  1853, 
chap.  333,  in  relation  to  the  formation  and  management, 
powers  and  responsibilities  of  corporations. 

And  the  following  are  the  articles  of  our  agreement 
and  association : 


REAL   ESTATE  TRANSACTIONS  ON  OIL  CREEK.  71 

AKT.  1.  The  na,me  of  the  corporation  sJiall  be  the  Penn- 
sylvania Rock  Oil  Company. 

ART.  2.  The  objects  for  which  said  Company  is  formed, 
are  to  raise,  procure,  manufacture  and  sell  Rock  Oil. 

ART.  3.  The  capital  stock  of  the  said  Company  shall  be 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  shall  be 
divided  into  ten  thousand  shares  of  twenty-five  dollars 
each. 

ART.  4.  The  business  of  said  Company  shall  Commence 
on  the  1st  day  of  January,  1855,  and  continue  fifty  years, 

ART.  5.  The  business  of  said  Company  shall  be  under 
the  management  of  seven  trustees,  and  the  board  of  trus- 
tees for  the  first  year  shall  consist  of  the  following  persons, 
viz  : 

George  H.  Bissell,  of  New  York;  J.  G.  Eveleth,  of  New 
York ;  Franklin  Reed,  of  New  York ;  Francis  B.  Brewer, 
of  Titusville,  Pennsylvania ;  Anson  Sheldon,  of  New  Ha- 
ven, Connecticut ;  James  H.  Salisbury,  of  New  York ;  and 
Dexter  A.  Hawkins,  of  New  York. 

ART.  6.  The  principal  place  of  business  shall  be  in  the 
city  and  county  and  State  of  New  York. 

In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and 
affixed  our  seals,  this  thirtieth  day  of  December,  Anno 
Domini,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-four.'* 

Here  follow  the  signatures  of  the  above-mentioned  seven 
trustees,  of  whom,  all  but  Dr.  "Brewer,  who  represented  the 
stock  of  Brewer,  Watson  &  Co.,  were  mere  lay-figures,  oc- 
cupying positions  it  was  necessary  for  appearance'  sake, 
that  some  one  should  fill.  Not  more  than  one  of  them  at 
most,  represented  stock  held  in  his  own  right,  stock  for 
which  he  had  paid. 

On  the  16th  of  January  1855,  Eveleth  Bissell  conveyed 
to  the  Trustees*of  The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company 
all  their  right  and  title  to  the  lands,  but  the  deed  fortu- 
nately was  not  recorded,  and  the  estate  continued  ostensi- 


72  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

bly  in  them  till*  the  following  autumn,  when  it  was  con- 
veyed to  other  parties  for  the  benefit  of  the  new  Pennsyl- 
vania Rock.  Oil  Company. 

After  the  organization  of  the  Company  in  January,  an 
effort  was  made  to  get  the  stock  taken  at  some  price,  but  the 
great  stringency  in  the  money  market,  not  less  than  the  un- 
usual character  of  the  enterprise,  placed  the  stock  in  the 
ever  dangerous  category  of  "  fancies,"  and  prevented  its 
being  taken  to  any  great  extent  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

Yet  every  effort  was  made  ;  and  even  Crosby,  then  en- 
gaged as  a  reporter  on  one  of  the  newspapers  of  the  city, 
became  again  an  agent  in  the  enterprise.  He  received  a 
few  shares  in  acknowledgment  of  former  services,  and  a 
few  more  to  engage  some  influence  he  was  supposed  to  pos- 
sess by  having  at  all  times  the  ear  of  the  public ;  but  no 
sooner  had  he  got  his  couple  of  hundred  shares  transferred 
to  his  own  name  on  the  books  of  the  Company,  than,  fig- 
uratively speaking,  he  dropped  the  ear  of  the  public — 
which  had  never  been  a  profitable  ear  to  him — and  gave 
his  exclusive  attention  to  the  disposal  of  his  own  stock. 

Selling  stock  may  be  pleasant  enough  when  one  has 
stocks  that  sell,  but  unfortunately  for  his  hopes,  Mr. 
Crosby's  were  not  of  that  sort. 

With  him,  as  with  others,  the  times  were  hard — in  fact, 
as  is  usually  the  case  with  such  jovial  characters,  the 
times  were  especially  hard  in-  his  case.  He  was  desperate, 
but  his  desperation  instead  of  quickening  his  wits  seemed 
rather  to  cloud  them;  and  Dr.  Brewer,  who  frequently 
passed  back  and  forth  from  Titusville  to  New  York,  and 
who  was  cognizant  of  most  of  their  transactions  and  diffi- 
culties, relates  how  one  day — it  happened  to  be  a  day  when 
the  desperation  of  Mr.  Crosby's  prospects  had  sunk  his 
mercurial  temperament  to  the  very  lowest  notch — he 
chanced  to  learn  that  Messrs.  Eveleth  and  Bissell  were 
about  concluding  a  sale  of  several  hundred  shares  of  stock 


REAL  ESTATE  TRANSACTIONS  ON    OIL  CREEK.  73 

to  a  Connecticut  gentleman  at  two  dollars  and-a-half  per 
share;  and  regarding  the  knowledge  in  the  light  of  a 
special  providence — a  plank  that  would  save  him  from 
being  engulfed  in  a  sea  -of  troubles — he  reached  out  and 
grasped  it ;  in  other  words  he  sought  an  interview  with 
their  client,  and  offered  him  the  remnant  of  his  own  stock 
at  fifty  cents  per  share.  The  result  was  what  any  one 
might  have  foreseen — what  Mr.  Crosby  himself  could  not 
have  failed  to  foresee,  only  that  he  was  blinded  by  despera- 
tion— the  man  knowing  neither  of  the  parties  and  suspect- 
ing a  swindle,  refused  to  take  the  stock  from  either,  and 
peremptorily  dropped  the  transaction. 

The  consternation  of  Messrs.  Eveleth  and  Bissell,  who 
had  now  expended  seven  or  eight  thousand  dollars, 
without  receiving  a  cent,  and  had  calculated  on  this  sale 
to  help  them  out  with  their  own  obligations  when  they 
learned  of  the  failure  of  the  transaction,  and  the  aggra- 
vating circumstances  by  which  that  failure  was  brought 
about,  may  possibly  be  imagined  but  cannot  be  described. 

But  as  it  was  useless  to  offer  stock  for  sale,  while  Mr. 
Crosby  had  any  to  sell,  they  found  it  expedient  to  buy  for 
themselves,  the  little  remnant  of  stock  he  found  it  im- 
possible to  sell  to  any  one  else,  and  he  readily  parted 
with  it  for  such  a  meagre  sum,  as  enabled  him  to  reach  the 
paternal  roof  at  Hanover  !  And  thus  forever  subsided, 
that  luminary  to  whom  it  pleased  the  writer  of  the  paper 
in  the  Atlantic,  to  gushingly  ascribe  the  development  of 
Petroleum ! 

The  enterprise  continued  to  hang  fire.  True  it  is,  that 
neither  of  the  partners  was  able  to  give  his  exclusive  at- 
tention to  its  management.  Their  legal  business  claimed 
their  attention,  and  so  far  there  was  nothing  in  prospect 
for  the  stock  company,  to  encourage  the  thought  of  giving 
up  a  thrifty  legal  business,  to  assume  the  more  active 
management  thereof.  But  they  engaged  the  services  of 


74  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

Mr.  Sheldon,  a  superannuated  minister  from  Connecticut, 
and  kept  him  to  fan  the  little  flame  of  interest,  mani- 
fested by  a  circle  of  gentlemen  in  New  Haven,  who 
eagerly  watched  the  progress  of  Professor  Silliman's 
analysis.  To  say  that  he  was  not  earnest  in  his  work, 
would  be  doing  him  injustice.  He  was  enthusiastic.  He 
bought  several  hundred  shares  himself,  for  which  he  gave 
a  note  that  he  had  about  as  reasonable  a  hope  of  paying, 
as  the  immortal  Micawber,  when  he  negotiated  his  paper 
at  the  Canterbury  Inn,  and  then,  poor  man,  he  became 
not  only  an  enthusiast  but  a  fanatic. 

Some  two  thousand  shares  were  transferred  to  him  to 
sell,  and  the  lowest  price  fixed.  Dreaming  the  same  fond 
dreams  of  sudden  riches  that  have  ever  been  the  fatality 
of  oil  stocks,  he  fell  frantically  to  work.  The  following 
letter  from  him  will  throw  some  light  on  the  way  they 
were  obliged  to  dicker  in  the  disposal  of  the  stock : 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  llth,  1855. 
My  Dear  Sir, 

Professor  Silliman  has  not  yet  completed  his  pho- 
tometrical  examination  of  the  Rock  oil,  in  comparison 
with  other  burning  fluids ;  but  will  probably  wind  up  his 
analysis  in  all,  this  week. 

The  experiments  last  evening  were  favorable,  and  are 
to  be  renewed  again  this  evening,  and  continued  until 
the  work  is  done. 

The  oil  will  not  work  well  in  the  Carrol  Mechanical 
Lamp,  but  burns  finely  in  the  camphene  lamps,  and  will 
be  tested  in  those  now  in  general  use.  The  value  of  the 
oil  depends  mostly  on  its  properties  as  a  burning  fluid. 

In  this  respect  the  analysis,  in  its  results,  has  been 
highly  satisfactory.  Several  gentlemen  here  have  signi- 
fied a  desire  to  take  some  of  the  oil  stocks,  and  pay  for 
the  same  in  town  lots,  but  I  have  not  as  yet  been  able  to 


REAL  ESTATE  TRANSACTIONS   ON  OIL   CREEK.  75 

satisfy  my  own  mind  as  to  their  value  and  hence  have 
not  closed  any  negotiations. 

This  difficulty  in  disposing  of  stock  was  not  occasioned 
more  by  the  complete  prostration  of  the  money  market 
than  by  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  which  bore 
heavily  on  such  enterprises  by  rendering  the  shareholder 
in  a  joint-stock  company  liable  for  its  debts  to  the  extent 
of  the  par  value  of  the  stock  he  owned. 

During  the  preceding  year  such  enormous  frauds  had 
been  perpetrated  by  taking  advantage  of  this  law,  that  it 
was  even  difficult  to  give  away  stocks  of  just  as  good  cha- 
racter as  theirs.  It  was  not  considered  the  safest  invest- 
ment in  the  world  for  a  man  having  no  means  of  knowing 
the  financial  condition  of  a  company,  except  by  tedious 
investigations,  which  it  was  not  possible  for  every  one  to 
make,  to  take  shares  at  two  dollars  whose  par  value  was 
twenty-five,  when,  for  aught  they  knew,  they  might  be 
called  upon  any  day  by  decree  of  court  to  pay  the  whole 
twenty-five  to  the  company's  creditors. 

With  the  opening  of  Spring,  however,  the  partners  took 
the  matter  more  actively  in  hand.  About  the  middle  of 
April,  Professor  Silliman's  report  was  handed  in,  and  after 
being  printed,  was  distributed  wherever  it  was  desired  to 
obtain  notice  for  the  enterprise.  On  the  llth  of  May, 
writing  from  New  Haven,  their  agent  says: 

"  Silliman's  report  is  now  generally  in  the  hands  of  the 
monied  men  of  this  place,  and  the  impression  it  has  crea- 
ted is  decidedly  favorable  to  the  P.  R.  0.  Company.  But 
with  the  present  state  of  feeling  existing  here  in  reference 
to  joint-stock  companies  formed  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  doing  their  business  in  the  City 
of  New  York,  I  do  not  think  that  any  great  amount  of 
stock  will  be  taken  by  capitalists  in  this  city. 

The  history  of  the  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad, 
and  also  the  Western  Empire  Company,  is  still  remem- 


76  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

bered  with  sorrow.  Many  had  been  ruined  by  the  frauds 
committed  by  these  companies,  so  that  by  them  many 
others  had  sustained  losses." 

Under  the  circumstances,  it  is  not  at  all  strange  that 
monied  men  should  be  cautious. 

Some  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  here  have 
signified  a  desire  to  take  stock  in  the  Company,  provided 
it  be  reorganized  under  the  laws  of  Connecticut,  and  New 
Haven  made  the  place  of  its  business  operations.  In  this 
state  the  property  of  the  stockholder  is  not  liable  for  the 
debts  of  the  Company."  *  *  *  * 

From  the  above  we  may  obtain  a  view  of  the  situation 
and  the  difficulties  that  trammeled  them.  To  begin  with, 
they  were  not  rich;  and  the  cost  of  the  land,  and  the 
expense  of  the  analysis — including  the  photometrical 
comparison  about  twelve  hundred  dollars — together  with 
all  the  innumerable  smaller  expenses  of  organization,  had 
absorbed  the  greater  part  of  their  available  means.  The 
previous  Fall  they  had  employed  Mr.  Angier  to  take 
charge  of  the  spring,  and  run  the  rude  machinery  for 
pumping  which  he  had  himself  invented  and  erected,  and 
now  when  the  spring  opened,  he  was  engaged  to  resume 
operations,  while  they  hastened  to  do  that  which  they 
saw  must  plainly  be  done  before  they  could  succeed — to 
organize  a  new  company  under  the  laws  of  Connecticut. 
This  accomplished,  a  number  of  men  promised  to  subscribe 
liberally  for  the  stock. 

Therefore  a  new  company  was  formed  in  New  Haven 
with  a  nominal  capital  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  preparations  made  to  take  the  property  of  the  old  com- 
pany at  twenty-four  thousand  dollars,  and  raise  by  imme- 
diate assessment  a  sufficient  sum  to  undertake  the  devel- 
opment of  the  property  by  trenching  on  a  large  scale. 

The  deed  to  the  first  company  had  never  been  recorded, 
and  it  was  thought  the  simplest  course,  to  call  in  all  the 


THE   PENNSYLVANIA   HOCK   OIL   COMPANY.  77 

stock — on  every  matter,  since  they  owned  the  most  of  it 
themselves,  and  the  rest  was  held  principally  by  their 
agent,  who,  poor  man,  rejoiced  at  the  thought  of  cancelling 
his  obligations  by  returning  it — and  thus  after  extin- 
guishing the  former  corporation,  make  the  deed  directly 
to  the  new  company. 

When  everything  was  ready  for  the  transfer,  Mr.  Bis- 
sell  had  occasion  to  visit  Titusville,  where  he  was  de- 
tained over  Sunday. 

A  drizzling  rain  prevented  his  walking  out.  While 
lounging  in  the  parlor  of  the  once  miserable  little  inn  of 
the  hamlet,  he  chanced  to  pick  up  a  copy  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Statutes,  used  by  the  Justice  of  the  Peace,  who 
held  court  in  the  room,  and  therein,  to  his  amazement,  he 
saw  re-enacted  the  old  English  statutes  of  mortmain,  de- 
vised and  enacted  three  hundred  years  before,  to  check 
the  absorption  of  the  landed  property  of  the  realm,  by 
ecclesiastical  institutions  too  easily  manipulated  by  the 
encroaching  power  at  Rome. 

The  statutes  there  framed  for  a  wise  and  beneficent 
purpose  were  here  perverted  so  as  to  render  forfeit  to  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania,  the  lands  of  any  corporation  or- 
ganized beyond  its  borders! 

He  hastened  at  once  to  apprise  the  new  company  of 
this  fortunate  discovery,  and  on  the  20th  of  September, 
1855,  executed  a  deed  to  Asahel  Pierpont  and  William  A. 
Ives,  of  New  Haven,  who  gave  a  bond  for  the  value  of 
the  property  and  promptly  leased  it  for  ninety-nine  years, 
to  the  new  company  legally  formed  two  days  before,  by 
the  publication  of  the  following  articles  of  association  : 

ARTICLES  OF  ASSOCIATION 

OF    THE    PENNSYLVANIA    ROCK   OIL    COMPANY. 

Be  it  known  that  we  the  subscribers,  do  hereby  asso- 
ciate ourselves  as  a  body  politic,  and  corporate,  pursuant 


78  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

to  the  provisions  of  Title  3d,  Chapter  14th,  of  the  Statute 
laws  of  the  state  of  Connecticut,  entitled  "  Of  Joint-stock 
Corporations,"  and  the  act  in  addition  thereto,  and  in  al- 
teration thereof,  and  the  following  are  the  articles  of  our 
agreement  and  association. 

ART.  1.  The  name  of  the  corporation  shall  be  the 
Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company. 

ART.  2.  The  capital  stock  of  said  corporation,  shall 
be  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  the  said  capital 
stock  shall  be  divided  into  twelve  thousand  shares  of 
twenty-five  dollars  each. 

ART.  3.  The  purposes  for  which  the  said  corporation 
is  established,  are  the  following,  viz  :  to  raise,  procure, 
manufacture  and  sell  Rock  Oil,  coal,  paints,  salt  or  any 
mineral  or  natural  productions  which  may  be  found  in 
any  springs  or  mines,  or  on  any  lands  that  may  come 
into  the  possession  of  said  company  by  deed  or  lease, 
and  generally  to  perform  all  acts  and  transact  any  busi- 
ness incidental  to  or  that  may  be  necessary  in  the  prose- 
cution of  said  business. 

ART.  4.  The  statute  aforesaid  entitled  "Of  joint- 
stock  companies,"  is  hereby  particularly  referred  to,  and 
made  part  of  these  articles :  and  the  corporation  hereby 
established,  and  organized  under  and  pursuant  to  the 
said  statute  shall  have  the  powers,  and  shall  proceed  ac- 
cording to  the  regulations  described,  and  specified  in  said 
statute. 

ART.  5.  Each  subscriber  to  these  articles,  agrees  to 
take  the  number  of  shares  annexed  to  his  name  of  the 
capital  stock  of  said  corporation,  each  share  to  be  twenty- 
five  dollars  as  aforesaid. 

ART.  6.  The  said  corporation  is  established  and  located 
in  the  city  of  New  Haven,  county  of  New  Haven  and 
state  of  Connecticut. 


THE   PENNSYLVANIA   KOCK   OIL   COMPANY.  79 

SUBSCRIBERS'  NAMES.  No.  of  Shares< 

George  H.  Bissell ,2OO 

J-  G.  Eveleth .....!.'..'."!!!  1200 

Asahel  Pierpont Iooo 

Prof.  B.  Silliman,  Jr ...I.!...!!".!  200 

Henry  L.  Pierpont 2OO 

James  M.  Townsend COQ 

John  Hannah jeo 

Ebenezer  Brewer Ioo 

William  A.  Ives 1000 

Brewer,  Watson  &  Co 1200 

Edwin  B.  Bowditch 500 

Eveleth&  Bissell 4690 

12,000 
By  order  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

New  Haven,  September  1 8,  1855. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Eveleth  and  Bissell  retained  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  new  company. 
There  were,  indeed,  in  the  published  articles  of  association, 
a  number  of  other  names  on  the  list,  among  them  Shel- 
don's ;  but  they  never  took  their  stock,  and  it  was  retained 
by  the  partners.  The  consideration  for  the  land  was 
$24,000,  and  though  retaining  so  much  of  the  stock  them- 
selves they  had  now  about  received  the  amount  of  their 
expenditure,  and  felt  inclined  to  hold  it  and  wait  the  re- 
sult of  further  development  of  the  property. 

A  small  fund  was  raised  for  the  treasury,  and  Mr.  Pier- 
pont, an  eminent  mechanic,  was  sent  out  tp  examine  the 
spring  with  a  view  to.  the  improvement  of  Mr.  Angier's 
machinery.  It  was,  however,  though  rude,  perfectly 
adapted  to  that  mode  of  development,  and  no  other  had 
been  yet  thought  of. 

Mr.  Pierpont  would  have  resumed  more  extensive  ope- 
rations, but  the  inharmony  that  forever  afterwards  charac- 
terized the  management  of  this  company  had  already  be- 
gun to  manifest  itself,  and  it  was  found  impossible  to  raise  ' 
more  money  for  the  treasury. 

While  Mr.  Bissell  and  his  partner  held  a  majority  of  the 


80  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

shares  they  were  crippled  by  the  by-laws  to  which  they 
had  subscribed,  and  which  provided  that  a  majority  of  the 
board  of  directors  should  be  chosen  from  the  New  Haven 
stock-holders.  The  one  thousand  shares  that  Mr.  Ives  had 
taken  were  paid  for  in  local  securities  that  were  'after- 
wards proven  to  be  worthless  at  the  time,  and  out  of  the 
vituperative  charges  that  followed  this  discovery,  sprang 
the  spirit  of  dissension  that  always  thereafter  divided  their 
counsels  and  circumscribed  their  usefulness. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Bissell  in  October,  Dr.  Brewer,  speak- 
ing of  a  new  trench,  says:  "Mr.  Angier  took  six  gallons 
from  it,  though  it  had  been  gathered  the  day  before,"  and 
in  a  postscript  to  the  same  letter  he  adds,  "  As  I  have  no 
interest  in  the  matter  only  the  wish  to  see  it  go  on  to  per- 
fection, of  course  I  can  have  no  object  in  magnifying  its 
resources,,  but  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  gallons  per  day 
may  be  had  by  the  judicious  expenditure  of  five  hundred 
dollars."  But  the  five  hundred  dollars  were  not  forth- 
coming. Even  Mr.  Angier's  services  were  dispensed  with. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  DEVELOPMENTS  ON  OIL.  CKEEK.  81 


CHAPTER   V. 

COMMENCEMENT   OF   DEVELOPMENTS   ON  OIL   CREEK. 

ORE-OCCUPIED  by  a  course  of  specious  reasoning,  it  is 
-•-  wonderful  how  completely  the  human  mind  may  ignore 
the  inductive  logic  of  facts.  It  is  a  lamentable,  and  ap- 
parently, an  incurable  frailty  which  more  than  all  other 
human  infirmities,  retards  the  progress  of  knowledge. 
It  is  the  fault  of  an  ancient  system  of  speculative  phi- 
losophy which  accepted  the  plausible  as  conclusive — 
which,  taking  anything  for  granted,  rejected  that  as  ex- 
ceptional to  the  law  which  could  not  be  warped  to  the 
support  of  its  theory — a  philosophy  which,  while  it 
encouraged  reflection,  forbade  experiment,  and  thus  left 
much  uncertain,  that  might  have  been  rendered  positive 
by  the  simple  turning  over  of  a  chip — a  philosophy  which 
received  its  death  blow  from  Bacon,  the  experimentalist, 
and  Franklin,  his  follower.  But  enough  of  its  dreamy 
essence  still  lingers  to  tone  the  wild,  progressive  spirit 
of  the  age. 

Without  bringing  into  question  here  the  plausibility  or 
correctness  of  that  theory  which  referred  the  origin  of 
Petroleum  to  coal,  can  we  help  but  express  our  wonder  at 
the  perversity  of  those  minds,  which,  preoccupied  with 
such  a  conclusion,  steadfastly  overlooked  the  fact,  that  in 
every  important  case  to  which  they  could  refer,  it  had 
been  found  very  far  beneath  the  coal  measures? 

While  clinging  to  and  reiterating  a  theory  that  was 
perfectly  indisputable,  namely :  that  the  oil  was  forced 
to  the  surface  by  the  expansibility  of  the  gas  with  which 
it  is  invariably  accompanied,  they  overlooked  the  fact 


82  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

that  the  same  gas  should  have  prevented  its  ever  settling 
to  such  a  depth — should  have  forced  it  to  the  surface 
when  it  was  first  expressed  from  the  carboniferous  stra- 
tum instead  of  forcing  it  downward  through  impervious 
underlayers. 

With  infinitesimal  modifications  the  "  coal  theory  "  is 
the  one  that  has  mostly  obtained — none  are  without  some 
insuperable  objections ;  and,  considering  the  organic 
nature  of  the  fluid,  it  is  in  many  respects  exceedingly 
plausible. 

But  the  day  may  come  when  Geology  will  discover  or 
invent  a  "period  of  Petroleum  plants,"  which,  after 
revising  her  nomenclature  a  little,  she  can  fix  somewhere 
anterior  to  the  "  period  of  coal  plants,"  and  simplify  the 
theories  of  the  origin  of  Petroleum,  which  are  now  too 
numerous  and  ponderous  to  be  mentioned. 

Although  a  perusal  of  the  report  of  the  State  Survey 
would  have  shown  them  that  the  last  traces  of  the  coal 
fields  of  Northwestern  Pennsylvania  faded  out  in  a  thin 
stratum  at  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills  a  few  miles 
farther  down  the  creek,  and  that,  geologically  speaking, 
they  were  a  great  many  feet  below  the  coal  measures, 
still  the  inhabitants  of  an  insulated  hamlet  like  Titus ville, 
numbering  less  than  three  hundred  souls,  and  offering 
no  facilities  for  extended  investigations,  were  quite  ex- 
cusable for  clinging  to  the  supposition  that  the  hills  which 
rose  abruptly  on  either  side  of  the  little  island  on  which 
their  famous  oil  spring  was  located,  were  filled  with  a 
highly  bituminous  coal  from  which  the  Petroleum  slowly 
leaked  into  the  valley  of  the  Creek,  and  coming  in  contact 
with  water,  was  forced  by  specific  gravity  to  the  surface. 
In  the  light  of  present  events,  this  may  seem  sufficiently 
absurd,  but  it  was  not  without  an  appearance  of  great 
plausibility  to  even  reflecting  minds  in  that  day. 

But  a  new  day  was  dawning — a  day  which  witnessed 


COMMENCEMENT   OF   DEVELOPMENTS   ON   OIL   CHEEK.         83 

the  birth  of  an  idea  that  gave  a  new  direction  to  human 
thought,  and  developed  an  industry  which  will  forever 
mark  an  era  in  the  progress  of  the  world. 

It  was  the  idea  of  obtaining  Petroleum  by  means  of 
artesian  wells.  It  was  a  simple  thought,  but  significant 
— a  thought  which,  as  Professor  Silliman  remarked,  was 
the  one  of  all  others  most  naturally  suggested  by  the 
various  phenomena  that  had  attended  the  discoveries  of 
Petroleum  in  the  salines  of  the  Muskingum  and  Kanawha, 
described  in  a  former  chapter  of  this  work — the  first  idea 
that  should  have  been  suggested  to  a  mind  cognizant  of 
all  these  circumstances;  and  yet,  though  himself  editor-in- 
chief  of  the  periodical  in  which  the  circumstances  were 
described,  he  very  candidly  confessed,  that  throughout 
the  five  months  he  was  prosecuting  the  analysis,  the 
thought  of  artesian  boring,  never  once  occurred  to  him. 
And  yet  of  all  in  any  way  connected  with  these  first 
transactions,  he  was  the  only  one  of  whom  we  had  a  per- 
fectly reasonable  right  to  expect  such  an  idea;  but  Profes- 
sor Silliman's  interest  in  the  matter  terminated  with  the 
conclusion  of  his  elaborate  analysis,  for  though  he  perfectly 
comprehended  its  value,  he  never  expected  to  see  it 
obtained  in  any  great  quantity,  and  the  two  hundred 
shares  of  stock  he  held  were  given  him  in  order  to  make 
him  president  of  the  company,  and  thus  secure  the  pres- 
tige of  a  name  renowned  in  science. 

The  idea  came  from,  another  quarter,  and  was  suggested 
by  an  incident  as  trifling  as  that  which  disclosed  the  law 
of  gravitation.  While  seeking  shelter  beneath  the  awning 
of  a  Broadway  drug-store,  one  scorching  day  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1856,  Mr.  Bissell's  eye  fell  upon  a  remarkable 
show-bill  lying  beside  a  bottle  of  Kier's  Petroleum  in  the 
window.  (See  copy  of  this  label  on  opposite  page). 

His  attention  was  arrested  by  the  singularity  of  display- 
ing a  four-hundred-dollar  bank-note  in  such  a  place;  but  a 


84  HISTOEY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

closer  look  disclosed  to  him  the  fact  that  it  was  only  an 
advertisement  of  a  substance  in  which  he  was  deeply 
interested.  He  stepped  in  and  requested  permission  to 
examine  it.  The  druggist  took  it  from  the  window,  and 
having  plenty  of  them,  told  him  to  keep  it.  For  a  mo- 
ment he  scanned  it,  scrutinizing  the  derricks  and  remark- 
ing the  depth  from  which  the  oil  was  drawn,  till  instantly, 
like  an  inspiration  it  flashed  upon  him,  that  this  was  the 
way  their  lands  must  be  developed — -by  artesian  wells.  It 
seems  a  very  simple  thought,  but  how  astounding  have  been 
its  results.  It  has  added  more  than  a  thousand  million 
of  dollars  to  the  material  wealth  of  our  country,  and  its 
history  is  only  just  begun.  Already  it  makes,  after  wheat 
and  cotton,  our  most  valuable  commodity  of  export,  and 
throughout  the  world,  must  furnish  the  means  of  subsis- 
tence to  more  than  half  a  million  of  people.  Its  influences 
upon  civilization  are  incalculable.  Yet  all  this  by  the 
birth  of  a  new  idea.  Thus,  step  by  step  the  world  im- 
proves, moving  on  toward  knowledge. 

The  idea  was  simple — at  first  it  may  almost  seem  to 
have  been  self-evident,  but  reflect  that  the  mind  which 
grasped  it  must  also  have  taken  in  a  better  conception  of 
the  philosophy  of  the  existence  of  Petroleum  than  had  any 
other  mind  before. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  mind  of  this  man  may  have 
been  prepared  for  the  reception  of  such  an  idea,  by  long 
reflection.  It  is  quite  likely  that  Newton  had  seen  many 
an  apple  fall  before  the  one  that  gave  him  an  idea,  and  it 
is  just  as  unlikely  that  he  would  have  ever  drawn  the 
conclusion  from  the  incident  if  the  necessity  of  the  law  of 
gravitation  had  not  previously  occurred  to  his  mind. 

When  Mr.  Bissell  disclosed  his  theory  to  his  partner 
that  gentleman  embraced  it  with  enthusiasm,  and  they 
promptly  canvassed  the  practicability  of  putting  it  to  the 
test. 


COMMENCEMENT   OF  DEVELOPMENTS    ON  OIL  CREEK.        85 

Their  first  notion  was  to  attempt  the  experiment  them- 
selves,  but  even  if  they  could  induce  the  company  to  help 
them  in  their  scheme  they  reflected  that  such  a  step  would 
necessitate  the  loss  of  their  legal  business,  and  even  if  it 
should  prove  successful,  which  was  all  an  uncertainty, 
they  never  dreamed  of  flowing  wells  that  would  make 
them  millionaires  in  a  day. 

In  this  dilemma  they  imparted  their  convictions  to  Mr. 
Havens,  of  the  firm  of  Ly man  &  Havens — real  estate  brokers 
on  Wall  street,  N.  Y. — a  man  who  had  been  largely  iden- 
tified with  the  construction  of  the  first  railroads  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania,  and  he  was  so  favorably  impressed  with 
the  theory  that  he  signified  a  desire  to  take  part  in  the 
enterprise  himself,  and  after  a  few  days  reflection,  offered 
them  five  hundred  dollars  to  secure  him  a  lease  of  the 
property  from  The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company. 
But  that  was  a  company  very  much  inclined  to  thwart 
any  plan  proposed  by  the  New  York  stock-holders,  and 
though  several  of  the  New  Haven  parties,  prominent 
among  whom  was  Mr.  Pierpont,  readily  accepted  the  new 
idea,  they  having  faith — if  the  expression  may  be  pardoned 
— and  though  after  much  delay  the  lease  was  finally 
granted,  it  was  not  till  Mr.  Havens  had  been  overwhelmed 
in  financial  embarrassments  which  prevented  his  going 
on  with  the  contract. 

By  the  terms  of  the  contract  he  was  to  pay  the  Com- 
pany twelve  cents  per  gallon  for  all  oil  raised  for  fifteen 
years,  and  a  year  was  given  him  to  begin  operations. 

When  Eveleth  and  Bissell  conveyed  their  title  to  The 
Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company,  they  reserved  to  the 
lumbering  firm,  the  use  of  the  mill  race  and  the  right  of 
way  over  the  property,  in  consideration  for  which  the  Oil 
Company  received  a  lease  to  take  "oil,  salt,  or  paint"  from 
all  other  lands  of  the  firm  in  Venango  county  for  a  term 
of  ninety-nine  years. 


86  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

But  the  wives  of  the  members  of  the  firm  had  not  joined 
in  the  power  of  attorney  by  which  the  agent  conveyed  the 
lease,  and  would  be  entitled  to  dower  in  the  event  of  the 
death  of  .their  husbands. 

The  idea  of  artesian  boring  was  too  fascinating  to  be  for- 
gotten. It  grew  reasonable,  upon  reflection.  It  was  sus- 
tained by  all  the  phenomena  of  Petroleum.  It  was 
encouraged  by  every  written  account.  It  grew  into  such 
favor  with  the  New  Haven  stockholders  that  they  formed 
a  scheme  to  monopolize  its  value. 

Before  the  year  allowed  for  Havens  to  begin  operations 
had  nearly  expired,  Mr.  Townsend,  then  President  of  the 
Company,  in  lieu  of  Professor  Silliman  resigned,  em- 
ployed Mr.  E.  L.  Drake,  whom,  in  the  darker  days  of  its 
prospects  he  had  cajoled  into  purchasing  two  hundred  dol- 
lars' worth  of  his  own  stock  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of 
going  to  Titusville,  to  rectify  the  oversight  mentioned  in 
the  lease,  though  the  real  object  was  not  less  to  have  him 
inspect  the  locality  with  a  view  to  what  followed,  while  it 
might  be  done  at  the  expense  of  the  Company. 

That  this  was  their  plan  of  operation,  will  be  perfectly 
plain  to  any  one  who  follows  the  progress  of  the  cunning 
development  of  their  scheme. 

First,  and  foremost  the  legal  hitch  might  just  as  easily 
have  been  fixed  up,  by  sending  the  documents  by  mail ; 
for  it  was  merely  an  oversight,  and  the  women  had  no 
objections  to  signing.  Then  Mr.  Drake,  though  an  in- 
telligent gentleman,  was  the  last  one  to  choose  for  the  per- 
formance of  legal  business,  as  no  occupation  of  his  life 
had  prepared  him  for  such  duty ;  besides  in  order  to  give 
a  pompous  turn  to  the  transaction  in  the  eyes  of  the 
backwoodsmen,  the  legal  documents,  together  with  several 
letters  were  mailed  to  "Colonel  E.  L.  Drake,  care  of  Brewer, 
Watson  &  Co.,"  before  ever  the  man  left  New  Haven. 

The  title  was  the  pure  invention  of  Mr.    Townsend, 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  DEVELOPMENTS  ON  OIL  CREEK.    87 

who  generously  acknowledges  his  plus  fraudum,  and  in 
the  oil  region  and  elsewhere,  he  has  ever  since  been 
known  as  Colonel  Drake.  On  his  way  to  Titusville, 
he  stopped  to  examine  the  salt  borings  at  %  Syracuse, 
New  York,  and  about  the  middle  of  December,  1857, 
was  trundled  into  the  little  village  of  lumbermen,  on 
the  wagon  that  brought  the  mail  from  Erie,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Prepared  as  they  had  been  for  his  coming,  he 
was  received  with  ostentatious  hospitality. 

Finishing  that  part  of  the  legal  business,  which  could 
be  accomplished  in  Titusville,  he  spent  a  few  days  ex- 
amining the  various  indications  of  oil  on  the  lands,  and 
then  proceeded  to  Pittsburgh,  to  add  the  signatures  of  Mrs. 
Brewer  and  Mrs.  Rynd,  to  the  instrument  of  conveyance, 
and  after  visiting  the  wells  at  Tarentum,  the  picture  of 
which  on  Mr.  Kier's  advertisement  had  suggested  the 
idea  of  boring  for  oil,  he  hurried  back  to  New  Haven,  en- 
thusiastic to  conclude  the  scheme.  On  the  30th  of  De- 
cember, the  three  New  Haven  directors,  constituting  a 
majority,  executed  a  lease  to  Edwin E.Bowditch  and  E.  L. 
Drake,  by  the  terms  of  which,  they  were  to  pay  the 
Pennsylvania  Eock  Oil  Company,  only  Jive  and  a  half 
cents  a  gallon  royalty  for  the  oil  raised  for  fifteen  years. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  directors,  eight  days 
later,  this  lease  was  brought  up,  and  notwithstanding 
the  protest  of  the  two  other  directors,  George  H.  Bis- 
sell  and  Jonathan  Watson,  representing  a  trifle  over 
two-thirds  of  the  whole  stock,  it  was  ostentatiously 
ratified.  The  thing  however  was  so  palpably  unjust 
that  Mr.  Bissell  and  Mr.  Watson  withdrew,  protesting, 
from  the  council.  Perceiving  that  they  had  overdone  the 
matter,  and  might  possibly  lose  all  if  they  persisted,  they 
at  once  changed  the  consideration  to  one-eighth,  in  kind, 
of  all  the  "oil,  salt  or  paint"  .produced,  and  determined 
to  defy  every  protest  against  this.  The  deed  was  at  once 


88  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

sent  to  Franklin  and  recorded.  But  refusing  to  concur 
in  terms  more  favorable  than  those  granted  in  Havens' 
lease,  Mr.  Bissell  threatened  to  restrain  despoliation  of 
the  property  by  injunction,  if  they  attempted  operations. 
Their  position  was  quite  untenable.  They  knew  it,  and 
rather  than  undergo  the  scrutiny  of  a  legal  investigation, 
and  being  determined  not  to  let  the  prize  slip  from  their 
fingers,  they  yielded.  A  supplemental  lease  was  recorded, 
making  the  terms  the  same  as  in  Havens'  lease,  but  ex- 
tending the  time  to  forty-five  years.  To  this  Bissell  and 
Watson  cheerfully  agreed. 

On  the  23d  of  March  they  formed  themselves  into  an 
association  under  the  title  of  "The  Seneca  Oil  Company." 
They  had  the  grace  to  shun  publicity,  and  the  publication  of 
the  articles  of  association,  required  by  law,  was  effected  in 
an  obscure  little  weekly,  published  in  one  of  the  villages 
of  New  Haven  county. 

The  basis  of  their  association  was  the  lease.  Mr. 
Drake  appeared  as  the  principal  stockholder;  but  no 
stock  was  ever  issued. 

It  was  in  effect  only  a  partnership,  the  members  of 
which  sought  protection  against  each  other  under  the 
laws  for  joint-stock  companies.  From  the  little  influence 
he  possessed  in  the  management  of  their  affairs,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  Drake  could  have  furnished  but  little  of  the 
capital.  He  was  not  in  a  situation  to  do  so.  For  eight 
or  ten  years  previous  he  had  been  a  conductor  on  the  New 
York  and  New  Haven  railroad,  at  a  salary  of  seventy-five 
dollars  per  month,  and  the  little  he  had  been  able  to  save 
from  such  a  pittance,  had  been  swept  away  by  an  unlucky 
investment  the  year  before. 

He  was  engaged  at  a  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and 
about  May,  1, 1858,  arrived  in  Titusville  with  his  family. 

He  had  been  provided  by  the  company  with  a  fund  of 
a  thousand  dollars  on  which  to  begin  operations. 


COMMENCEMENT   OF   DEVELOPMENTS   ON   OIL   CEEEK.         89 

His  first  step  after  getting  settled  was  to  start  up  the 
old  works  abandoned  by  The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Com- 
pany,  and  then  he  cast  about  for  a  practical  artesian 
driller  to  sink  a  well. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1858,  he  writes : 

"  Here  I  am  digging  along  yet  in  search  of  oil  and 
other  valuables.  The  month  of  May  was  a  hard  one, 
and  the  first  eleven  days  of  June,  but  since  then  we  have 
had  dry  weather,  so  that  I  have  got  the  start  of  the  water, 
and  am  now  gathering  about  ten  gallons  of  oil  per  day — r 
at  the  same  time  sinking  a  well  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
what  oil  there  is  on  the  island. 

I  have  found  some  difficulty  in  getting  a  borer.  All 
were  engaged  on  jobs  that  will  last  until  fall.  Yesterday 
Dr.  Brewer  wrote  me  that  he  could  get  one  for  me  at 
Allegany,  who  will  bore  and  tube  for  three  dollars  per 
foot,  which  is  the  best  offer  I  have  had.  I  wrote  the 
Doctor  to  send  him  along  at  once.  Yesterday  I  set  some 
men  to  opening  a  new  spring,  so  that  things  begin  to  look 
greasy." 

In  justice  to  his  partners,  it  is  due  to  say  that  Mr. 
Drake  was  ^well  supplied  with  money.  In  the  oil 
region  there  has  been  a  general  belief  to  the  con- 
trary, but  this  is  entirely  without  foundation.  In  his 
private  affairs  possibly,  he  was  embarrassed,  but  in  his 
last  quarterly  statement  to  the  company  before  striking 
the  oil,  he  reported  a  fund  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
dollars  on  hand. 

On  the  16th  of  August,  '58,  he  writes  as  follows: 

"I  received  on  Saturday  at  Erie,  Aug.  14th,  a  pack- 
age containing  $472.67,  from  the  Treasurer  of  the  Seneca 
Oil  Company,  and  gave  the  Express  Company  my  re- 
ceipt. 

"  I  shipped  two  barrels  of  oil  to  Mr.  Pierpont  at  New 
Haven,  as  he  said  he  could  make  a  market  for  it. 


90  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

"In  sinking  our  well  last  week,  we  struck  a  large  vein 
of  oil,  but  the  same  thrust  of  the  spade  opened  a  vein  of 
water  that  drove  the  men  out  of  the  well,  and  I  shall  not 
try  to  dig  by  hand  any  more,  as  lam  satisfied  that  boring 
is  the  cheapest.  I  should  have  had  my  borer  here, 
but  I  wrote  him  on  the  1st,  I  was  riot  ready,  as  I  did  not 
know  that  you  could  raise  the  money,  but  money  we 
must  have  if  we  make  anything.  I  have  abandoned  the 
idea  of  boring  and  pumping  by  water,  as  I  could  not  have 
the  exclusive  right  to  the  power,  but  must  be  subject  to 
the  sawyer,  the  turner,  and  the  blacksmith,  so  that  after 
consulting  the  best  salt  and  oil  men  at  Tarentum,  I  have 
contracted  for  an  engine  to  be  ready  for  boring  by  the 
first  of  September. 

"  I  have  got  out  the  timber  for  my  pump-house,  and  am 
having  it  framed  to-day.  We  shall  get  it  up  this  week.  I 
sha.ll  send  in  a  statement  of  my  stewardship  on  the  first 
of  September,  but  if  in  the  mean  time  the  Company  should 
feel  too  poor  to  furnish  a  thousand  dollars  more  by  the 
10th  of  September,  please  let  me  know  at  once.  Money 
is  very  scarce  here.  The  lumbermen  could  not  sell  their 
lumber  for  cash  this  summer,  and  the  people  all  depend 
upon  the  lumber  trade." 

The  Company  did  not  send  him  the  thousand  dollars  as 
soon  as  the  10th  of  September;  his  engine  was  not  ready; 
and  when  he  finally  was  prepared  to  start,  the  driller  had 
taken  another  job  and  operations  were  suspended  for  the 
winter.  In  February  '59,  Drake  went  to  Tarentum  and  en- 
gaged a  driller  to  come  up  in  April.  But  April  came  and 
no  driller  appeared.  The  man  having  been  able  to  get  a 
better  job  nearer  home,  affected  to  believe  that  Drake  was 
crazy — a  monomaniac  on  the  subject  of  Petroleum.  It 
afforded  him  the  simplest  exit  from  his  contract. 

When  Drake  went  down  to  look  after  him,  Mr.  Kier 
recommended  him  to  engage  William  Smith  and  his  two 


COMMENCEMENT   OF   DEVELOPMENTS   ON   OIL   CREEK.          91 

sons  who  had  done  a  great  deal  of  work  on  his  salt  wells. 
About  the  middle  of  June,  provided  with  a  complete  set 
of  tools  from  Mr.  Kier's  shop,  "  Uncle  Billy  Smith"  and 
his  two  sons  arrived  in  Titus ville. 

Aggravating  delays  followed.  In  artesian  boring  it  is 
necessary  to  begin  on  the  rock  to  drill.  •  This  had  been 
previously  done  by  digging  a  common  well-hole,  and  crib- 
bing it  up  with  timber.  When  the  rock  is  within  a  few 
feet  of  the  surface  it  is  still  the  cheapest  and  easiest 
method,  but  in  some  localities  to  do  so  would  be  practi- 
cally impossible.  They  started  to  dig  a  hole,  but  it  so 
persistently  caved  in  and  filled  with  water  when  they  got 
a  few  feet  below  the  surface,  that  Drake  determined  to  give 
it  up,  and  try  an  experiment  that  had  suggested  itself  to 
his  mind.  This  was  the  driving  of  an  iron  tube  through 
the  quicksands  and  clay  to  the  rock.  If  this  is  exclusively 
his  own  invention,  which  is  probable,  it  is  a  pity  he  did  not 
procure  a  patent  on  it.  The  royalty  would  have  afforded 
.him  at  least  a  competency,  though  the  driving  pipe  is  not 
so  much  in  use  now  as  formerly. 

The  operators  in  the  oil  region  have  had  the  benefit  of 
his  invention  without  any  return,  unless  indeed  we  except 
the  good  feeling  which  prompted  them  to  send  him  a 
present  of  $4,200,  when  they  heard  he  was  sick  and  in 
need. 

The  pipe  was  successfully  driven  to  the  rock — thirty-six 
feet — and  about  the  middle  of  August  the  drill  was  started. 
The  drillers  averaged  about  three  feet  a  day,  making 
slight  indications  all  the  way  down. 

Saturday  afternoon,  August  28th,  1859,  as  Mr.  Smith 
and  his  boys  were  about  to  quit  for  the  day,  the  drill  dropped 
into  one  of  those  crevices,  common  alike  in  oil  and  salt 
borings,  a  distance  of  about  six  inches,  making  the  total 
depth  of  the  whole  well  69  \  feet.  They  withdrew  the  tools, 
and  all  went  home  till  Monday  morning.  On  Sunday  after- 


92  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

noon,  however,  "  Uncle  Billy  "  went  down  to  the  well  to 
recon noiter,  and  peering  in  could  see  a  fluid  within  eight  or 
ten  feet  of  the  surface.  He  plugged  one  end  of  a  bit  of  a  tin 
rain-water  spout,  and  let  it  down  with  a  string.  He  drew 
it  up  filled  with  Petroleum. 

That  night  the  news  reached  the  village,  and  Drake, 
when  he  came  down  the  next  morning,  bright  and  early, 
found  the  old  man  and  his  boys  proudly  guarding  the  spot, 
with  several  barrels  of  Petroleum  standing  about. 

The  pump  was  at  once  adjusted,  and  the  well  com- 
menced producing  at  the  rate  of  about  twenty-five  barrels 
a  day.  The  news  spread  like  lightning.  The  village  was 
wild  with  excitement;  the  country  people  round  about 
came  pouring  down  to  see  the  wonderful  well. 

Mr.  Watson  jumped  on  a  horse  and 'hurried  straight- 
way to  secure  a  lease  of  the  spring  on  the  M'Clintock 
farm,  near  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  Mr.  Bissell,  who  had 
made  arrangements  to  be  informed  of  the  result  by  tele- 
graph, bought  up  all  the  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  stock,  it 
was  possible  to  get  hold  of,  even  securing  much  of  that 
owned  in  New  Haven,  and  four  days  afterward  was  at 
the  well.  His  views  of  the  matter  had  ever  been  the 
broadest,  as  his  transactions  had  been  the  boldest. 

While  others  were  seeking  for  surface  indications  before 
leasing,  he  rushed  forward,  and  secured  farm  after  farm 
down  the  creek  and  along  the  Allegany,  where  there  were 
no  surface  indications  whatever.  The  result  has  proven 
the  wisdom  of  his  conclusions.  Drake  unfortunately  took 
a  narrower  view  of  the  matter.  He  pumped  his  well  in 
the  complacent  conviction,  that  he  had  tapped  the  mine  ! 
He  was  probably  led  into  this  supposition  by  what  seemed 
to  him  the  remarkable  incident  of  having  struck  a  crevice. 
No  money  was  paid  on  most  of  the  leases  at  first  taken ; 
a  royalty  of  an  eighth  or  a  quarter,  only  being  reserved 
by  the  easy  old  farmers  who  owned  the  land,  and  without 


COMMENCEMENT  OP   DEVELOPMENTS  ON  OIL  CREEK.         93 

a  cent  he  might  have  secured  any  quantity  of  territory. 
He  was  repeatedly  advised  to  do  so,  by  shrewd  men 
who  were  themselves  laying  the  foundation  of  fabulous 
fortunes;  but  it  was  his  fatal  misfortune  to  disregard  that 
advice.  "When  several  other  wells  had  been  struck,  and 
his  eyes  were  opened  to  his  mistake,  it  was  too  late — the 
golden  opportunity  had  fled. 

The  well  fell  off  slowly  till  toward  the  end  of  the  year, 
it  produced  only  about  fifteen  barrels  per  day.  It  was 
never  purnped  at  all  on  Sundays,  and  averaging  the  pro- 
duction at  twenty  barrels  per  day — an  average  probably 
much  too  high — and  granting  a  hundred  and  five  work- 
ing days  shows  the  production  for  the  year  1859,  to  have 
been  twenty-one  hundred  barrels.  But  there  were  many 
days  in  succession  when  it  was  not  pumped.  At  one 
time  Mr.  Smith,  approached  one  of  the  tanks  with  a 
light  when  the  gas  caught  fire,  and  the  derrick,  pump- 
house,  oil  vats  and  all  were  completely  consumed,  and  it 
was  nearly  a  week  before  operations  could  be  resumed. 

Probably  two  thousand  barrels  even  would  be  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  above  the  actual  production  of  tho  four 
months  of  that  year,  and  yet  the  production  is  generally 
quoted  at  82,000  barrels.  * 

The  second  well  was  promptly  started  by  Barnsdal, 
Meade  and  Rouse,  and  at  the  depth  of  eighty  feet,  in 
November  it  was  pumped  for  two  or  three  days,  but 
yielded  in  all  less  than  five  barrels  of  oil,  till  it  was  sunk 
to  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  when  in  February 
1860,  it  was  again  started,  and  produced  from  forty  to  fifty 
barrels  per  day.  The  third  well  was  sunk  by  Mr.  Angier 
for  Brewer,  Watson  &  Co.,  in  the  spring  of  '60  on  the  M'Clin- 
tock  farm,  and  oil  was  struck  about  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber following,  but  both  these  last  wells  had  been  put  down 
without  the  aid  of  an  engine — "  stamped  down  with  a  spring 
pole"  they  called  it — and  after  pumping  by  hand  one  day 


94  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

at  the  third  well,  producing  twelve  barrels  of  oil,  so 
much  water  came  up,  that  operations  were  suspended  till 
an  engine  could  be  got  down  from  Erie  and  set  up,  which 
was  not  till  the  middle  of  January.  Considering  every- 
thing, the  difficulty  of  disposing  of  the  oil  was  much  less 
than  might  have  been  expected.  Kier  contracted  to  take 
part  of  it  at  fifty-six  cents  per  gallon,  and  the  rest  was 
disposed  of  through  Scheifflin  Brothers  of  New  York. 
And  here  ends  the  history  of  Petroleum  developments  on 
Oil  Creek  prior  to  the  year  1860. 

NOTE.— It  is  claimed  by  Peter  Wilson  and  R.  D.  Fletcher,  of  Titusville,  that  the  Com- 
pany refused  aid  to  Drake  during  the  drilling  of  the  well,  and  that  they  assisted  him  by 
indorsing  notes,  enabling  him  to  raise  money,  and  thus  supply  the  "  sinews  of  war," 
when  the  work  might  have  been  abandoned. 


DEVELOPMENTS  ALONG  OIL  CREEK.  95 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DEVELOPMENTS   ALONG   OIL    CREEK. 

A  FTER  oil  was  struck  on  the  island  in  Oil  Creek,  at 
-£*•  the  junction  of  Pine,  the  development  spread  rapidly 
thence  to  its  mouth,  where  now  is  situated  the  thriving 
town  of  Oil  City,  containing  about  eight  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, and  fast  growing  into  a  solid,  business  centre. 

With  one  stride,  indeed,  the  whole  territory  was  vir- 
tually thrown  open  to  development,  for  the  very  day  that 
Drake's  well  began  to  pump.  Brewer,  Watson  and  Co. 
leased  the  Hamilton  M'Clintock  Farm,  below  Rouseville, 
where  the  "  surface  indications  "  were  even  better  than  on 
their  own  tract,  which  had  passed  entirely  from  their 
control  to  The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company. 
Here  they  immediately  began  to  sink  a  well — the  third 
one  ever  sunk  for  oil — and  all  the  intermediate  territory 
for  sixteen  miles  along  the  narrow  valley  of  Oil  Creek 
was  soon  taken  up. 

At  first,  it  is  true,  speculators  looked  for  "  surface  indi- 
cations"— "pebble  rock,"  oil  springs,"  &c. — and  leased  only 
where  they  were  found;  but  when  a  few  older  or  better  in- 
formed minds  took  the  initiative,  others  followed,  and  a  few 
months'  experience  proved  that  there  was  no  reliance  to 
be  placed  in  "  surface  indications,"  and  that  good  wells 
were  as  likely  to  be  obtained  half  a  mile  away,  as  beneath 
the  most  productive  natural  spring. 

The  second  well,  on  the  Watson  flats,  below  Titus- 
ville,  was  begun  within  a  few  days  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  first,  by  Messrs.  Barnsdall,  Meade,  Ab- 
bott and  Rouse.  It  was  situated  a  little  above,  and 


96  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

almost  within  stone  throw  of  the  first,  and  though  it  was 
tested  in  November,  1859,  it  had  to  be  sunk  deeper,  and 
was  not  finally  completed  until  February  of  the  following 
year.  Like  the  third,  sunk  by  Mr.  Angier,  for  Brewer, 
Watson  and  Co.,  on  the  M'Clintock  farm,  this  was  also 
put  down  by  means  of  a  spring  pole  ;  and  indeed  the  same 
is  true  of  several  hundred  of  the  first  wells  drilled  along 
the  Creek ;  nor  was  the  system  entirely  abandoned  before 
1865,  and  to  strong  men,  whose  means  were  limited,  it 
afforded  a  ready  mode  of  development  that  answered  a 
good  purpose  in  opening  up  "  shallow  "  territory ;  but  it 
was  a  means  totally  inadequate  when  they  began  to  sink 
wells  below  four  or  five  hundred  feet. 

In  February,  Captain  Funk  and  also  Messrs.  Phillips  & 
Co.,  began  operations  on  the  Upper  McElhenny  Farm, 
about  a  mile-and-a-half  above  Petroleum  Centre.  On  this 
farm  in  June,  1861,  the  first-flowing  well  was  struck.  In 
more  than  one  respect  the  well  may  be  considered  remark- 
able— it:  being  the  FIRST  drilled  to  the  THIRD  sand  rock. 

This  was  the  "Fountain  Well  "on  the  upper  McElhenny 
or  Funk  Farm.  To  the  astonishment  of  all  the  drillers  in 
the  neighborhood  it  commenced  flowing  at  the  rate  of  300 
barrels  a  day.  Such  a  prodigal  supply  of  oil  upset  all  cal- 
culations, and  it  was  confidently  predicted  that  the  supply 
would  soon  stop.  It  was  an  "  Oil  Creek  humbug,"  and 
those  who  had  direct  interest  in  the  property  in  the  well 
looked  day  after  day  to  see  the  stream  stop.  But  like  the 
old  woman  who  sat  down  by  the  river-side  to  let  the  water 
run  itself  out,  that  she  might  cross  dry-shod,  they  waited 
in  vain.  The  oil  continued  flowing  with  little  variation 
for  fifteen  months,  and  then  stopped  (See  chapter  on 
early-flowing  wells.) 

Long  before  the  Fountain  Well  had  given  out,  the  won- 
der in  regard  to  it  was  overshadowed  by  a  new  sensation. 
On  the  Tarr  Farm,  the  "Phillips  Well"  burst  forth  with  a 


DEVELOPMENTS   ALONG   OIL   CREEK.  97 

stream  of  three  thousand  barrels  daily !  Not  to  be  out- 
done by  the  territory  down  the  Creek,  the  Empire  "Well, 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Fountain  Well,  suddenly 
burst  forth  with  its  three  thousand  barrels  daily,  figures 
which  subsequent  flowing  wells  vainly  endeavored  to  equal. 

Kier  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh,  began  to  develop  the  J.  W. 
McClintock  Farm,  on  which  the  village  of  Petroleum  Centre 
now  stands.  Hibbard  &  Co.  began  on  the  John  McClintock 
Farm,  Henry  R.  Eouse,  S.  Q.  Brown,  John  Mitchell,  and 
others,  on  the  Buchanan  Farms;  Crossley  &  Fletcher  on  the 
Stoeppel  Farm — all  before  the  first  of  February,  1860. 
"The  Crossley"  was  the  third  well  completed;  and  upon  the 
flats  below  Titusville  and  up  the  valley  of  Pine  Creek  as 
far  as  Enterprise,  there  were  not  less  than  twenty  compa- 
nies and  individuals  preparing  to  put  down  wells  as  soon 
as  the  spring  opened. 

The  number  of  farms  between  the  island  on  which  oil 
was  first  struck  and  the  mouth  of  Oil  Creek,  a  distance  of 
between  sixteen  and  eighteen  miles,  was  forty-three,  and 
though  most  of  the  statistics  of  the  early  operations  are 
now  hopelessly  lost,  from  the  few  preserved  we  are  able  to 
glean  the  following : 

The  Island  tract,  embracing  one  hundred  and  five  acres, 
originally  owned  by  Brewer,  Watson  &  Company,  was 
transferred  to  George  H.  Bissell  and  Jonathan  G.  Eveleth, 
of  New  York,  in  1854,  and  by  them  put  into  a  joint  stock 
company  called  The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company.  In 
1858  the  property  was  leased  to  The  Seneca  Oil  Company, 
which  put  down  the  first  well. 

The  lease  ran  for  forty-five  years,  and  as  the  decline  in 
the  price  of  oil  made  it  ruinous  to  pay  the  royalty  of 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  gallon,  The  Pennsylvania 
Rock  Oil  Company  came  to  an  agreement  by  which  The 
Seneca  Oil  Company  took  a  small  portion  of  the  land  in 
fee,  and  gave  up  the  lease  in  the  summer  of  1860. 
7 


98  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

After  this  was  accomplished  George  H.  Bissell  purchased 
the  interest  of  The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company,  of 
which  he  was  himself  principal  shareholder,  for  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  that  portion  of  the  tract  was  thereafter 
known  as  the  Bissell  Farm. 

Mr.  Bissell  at  once  began  actively  to  develop  the  farm, 
putting  down  ten  or  twelve  wells,  six  of  which  were  pro- 
ductive, and  yielded  for  some  time  eighty  barrels  per  day, 
which  was  much  better  than  any  other  territory  in  the 
immediate  vicinity.  The  farm  a  few  years  later  was  sold 
to  the  Original  Petroleum  Company. 

Next  below  this  is  the  Griffin  Farm,  located  on  both 
sides  of  Oil  Creek,  and  containing  the  ruins  of  several 
derricks.  The  property  was  pretty  well  developed  after 
passing  into  the  hands  of  the  New  York  and  Pennsylvania 
Petroleum  Company,  and  below  this  is  the  Crossley  Farm, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  creek,  which,  though  well  devel- 
oped, was  never  very  productive  territory ;  and  this  again 
is  followed  by  the  second  Bissell  Farm,  owned  by  George 
H.  Bissell  &  Co.,  which,  like  all  the  rest  of  the  territory 
which  came  under  the  management  of  this  energetic  man, 
was  thoroughly  and  successfully  developed. 

Below  the  second  Bissell  Farm  are  the  two  Stackpole 
Farms,  partly  covered  by  one  of  the  large  dams  used  in 
the  production  of  pond-freshets. 

The  upper  Stackpole  Farm  passed  into  the  possession  of 
the  Northern  Light  Oil  Company,  and  Brewer,  Watson  & 
Co. ;  the  lower  one  contains  ten  wells  and  two  abandoned 
refineries.  Then  follows  the  Pott  Farm,  on  which  there 
have  been  no  producing  wells,  and  next  below  is  the 
Shreve  Farm,  owned  by  the  Great  Western  Consolidated 
Oil  Company,  but  like  the  farm  above,  it  has  not  been  pro- 
ductive territory. 

The  Shreve  farm  is  followed  by  the  J.  Stackpole  Farm, 
which  came  into  the  hands  of  Brewer,  Watson  and  Co., 


DEVELOPMENTS  ALONG  THE  CEEEK.  99 

and  was  well   developed   by  sub-lessees,  but  without  re- 
markable success. 

The  Flemming  Farm,  next  below,  owned  by  Mrs. 
Fleraraing,  was  found  to  be,  if  not  entirely  unproductive, 
at  least  unremunerative  territory,  and  is  now  without  any 
evidences  of  development. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  Henderson  Farm,  which  is  just 
below  it. 

The  Jones  Farm,  which  is  next  in  order,  though 
thoroughly  tested  by  sinking  nearly  twenty  wells,  was 
never  proved  productive  territory,  yet  from  surface  in- 
dications it  was  as  promising  as  any  farm  along  the 
Creek. 

The  second  Flemming  Farm,  a  little  more  than  four 
miles  below  Titusville,  is  next  after  the  Jones  Farm,  and 
the  beginning  of  better  territory.  The  flats  on  this  farm 
were  thoroughly  tested,  and  several  good  wells  obtained ; 
one,  a  flowing  well,  was  successfully  operated  for  some 
time,  when  the  owner,  hoping  the  more  completely  to 
shut  off  the  surface  water  and  increase  the  flow  of  oil, 
drew  up  the  tubing  to  change  the  locality  of  the  seed-bag  ; 
but  after  re-arrangirig  it,  from  some  unaccountable  cause, 
the  well  not  only  ceased  to  flow,  but  never  again  pro- 
duced oil. 

The  Miller  Farm,  now  a  station  on  the  Oil  Creek  R.  R, 
and  formerly  the  scene  of  great  enterprise  on  the  part  of 
the  Pit  Hole  and  Miller   Farm  Transportation   Company, 
is  the  first  below   the   Second  Flemming  Farm   on   the 
Creek. 

Though  formerly  excellent  territory,  having  a  great 
number  of  good  flowing  and  pumping  wells,  it  now  pro- 
duces little  or  no  oil,  and  owing  to  the  improvements  in 
the  manner  of  transporting  oil  by  rail,  the  labor  of  three 
or  four  men  sufficing  to  fill  a  whole  train  of  the  modern 
tank  cars  in  a  few  hours,  and  the  fact  that  many  of  the 


100  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

refineries  once  operated  here,  are  now  abandoned,  the  en- 
terprise that  once  marked  the  place  has  almost  entirely 
subsided. 

Its  capacity  of  iron  tankage  is  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  barrels,  being,  except  Oil  City,  the  largest 
pipe  line  station  in  the  region. 

From  the  Miller  Farm  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek  at  Oil 
City,  the  territory  has  been  incomparably  the  best  ever 
discovered,  producing  up  to  1868,  probably  two  thirds  of 
all  the  oil  ever  brought  to  the  surface. 

The  Shaffer  Farm,  which  is  next,  though  containing 
but  little  more  than  fifty  acres,  was  formerly  one  of  the 
moderate  producing  farms  on  the  Creek.  This  farm,  though 
in  the  year  1864,  containing  less  than  a  half  dozen  build- 
ings, was  for  a  time  the  terminus  of  the  Oil  Creek  Rail- 
road, and  immediately  became  a  shipping  station  of  great 
importance,  for  the  oil  was  then  shipped  in  barrels,  and 
not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  teams  were  employed  in 
hauling  it  to  the  cars  from  the  well,  and,  together  with  their 
drivers,  and  other  auxiliaries,  these  supported  the  innu- 
merable stables, 'hotels  and  eating-houses,  that  sprang  up 
in  a  night  like  mushrooms.  Though  at  one  time  the 
village  on  Shaffer  Farm,  numbered  over  two  thousand  in- 
habitants, there  is  hardly  a  house  now  remaining  to 
mark  the  scene  of  former  activity. 

When  the  road  was  extended,  the  buildings  were  taken 
down  and  removed  to  the  next  station. 

The  Sanney  Farm,  which  is  the  first  after  Shaffer, 
though  not  unproductive,  has  not  been  remunerative  ter- 
ritory; and  though  once  the  seat  of  a  number  oi  small 
refineries,  is  now  completely  abandoned ;  and  the  same 
may  be  said  of  the  Gregg  farm  which  follows. 

The  Beaty  Farm  just  below,  lying  at  the  mouth  of 
Hemlock  Kun,  has  done  better,  and  once  contained  a 
number  of  good  wells,  several  of  which  were  up  the  run. 


DEVELOPMENTS  ALONG  TflE  CREEK.  101 

The  Farrel  Farm,  though  containing  but  thirty-six 
acres,  has  been  probably  the  most  remunerative  bit  of 
country  property  of  its  size  in  the  whole  oil  regions.  Its 
original  owner  was  James  Farrel,  but  a  part  of  his  in- 
terest was  sold  to  the  Commonwealth  Oil  Company.  It 
is  situated  on  Bull  Run,  and  the  East  side  of  Oil  Creek. 
The  renowned  Noble  and  Delamater  well,  which  flowed 
three  thousand  barrels  of  oil  a  day  when  first  struck, 
commenced  in  1863,  and  continued  to  flow  till  1865,  and 
is  estimated  to  have  produced  upwards  of  three  million 
dollars  worth  of  oil ;  and  another  well  the  Craft,  on  the 
same  farm,  produced  over  one  hundred  thousand  barrels. 

Besides  these  there  were  several  other  good  wells  on 
the  tract,  but  most  of  them  are  now  producing  little  or 
nothing.  Opposite  this,  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek,  is 
the  Foster  farm,  rendered  scarcely  less  famous  by  the 
great  Sherman  well,  which  began  flowing  in  1862,  at  the 
rate  of  two  thousand  barrels  per  day,  and  for  nearly  two 
years  is  said  to  have  averaged  nine  hundred  barrels  per 
day.  It  commenced  to  flow  in  May  1862,  and  ceased  in 
February  1864 ;  but  for  a  long  time  afterward,  it  was 
successfully  pumped.  On  the  other  side  of  the  creek  again, 
bounded  by  both  the  Foster  and  Farrel  farm,  lies  the 
Caldwell  farm. 

The  famous  well  of  the  same  name,  struck  on  this  farm 
in  the  spring  of  1863,  being  found  to  have  a  subterranean 
connection,  with  the  Noble  and  Delamater  well,  the 
owners  of  the  later  offered  to  buy  it,  and  it  was  sold  with 
an  acre  and  a  half  of  land  for  the  sum  of  $145.000.  (See 
sketch  of  Orange  Noble.) 

The  upper  McElhenny  Farm,  which  is  next  below 
these,  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  thoroughly  developed, 
and  has  always  been  one  of  the  best  producers.  A  great 
number  of  wells  were  sunk  on  this  farm,  in  the  years  1860, 
1861  and  1862,  and  though  none  of  them  were  large 
enough  to  be  remarkable,  nearly  all  were  remunerative. 


102  JafSTORY^  OF   PETROLEUM. 


The  Espy  Farm  adjoining,  is  remarkable  for  the  old 
Buckeye  well,  and  has  proved  valuable  territory.  The 
flats  on  this  farm,  were  developed  among  the  earliest,  but 
the  up-lands  tested  several  years  later,  were  very  produc- 
tive. 

The  Benninghoff  Farm,  which  lies  between  the  two 
McElhenny  Farms  on  the  creek,  at  the  mouth  of  Pioneer 
Kun,  was  at  one  time  remarkable  for  the  great  number 
of  its  flowing  wells. 

Most  of  the  wells  on  this  tract  flowed,  when  first 
struck,  and  though  none  of  them  were  large,  all  were 
lasting,  and  the  territory  very  sure. 

A  number  of  joint-stock  companies,  were  chartered 
to  work  leases  on  this  farm,  for  it  was  brought  into  market 
at  the  period  of  the  great  excitement. 

The  lower  McElhenny  Farm,  situated  on  both  sides  of 
Oil  Creek  below  the  Benninghoff  Farm,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  developed,  and  for  many  years  continued  to  be 
one  of  the  most  productive. 

It  was  purchased,  like  the  Upper  McElhenny  Farm,  of 
the  original  owner,  by  Hasson  and  M'  Bride,  and  L.  Halde- 
man  &  Co. 

The  most  remarkable  wells  on  this  farm  were  the  Em- 
pire and  Crocker  ;  the  former  of  which  started  off  at  two 
thousand  five  hundred  barrels  a  day,  and  after  yielding  an 
average  of  two  thousand  barrels  a  day  for  nearly  four 
months,  finally  dropped  off  to  three  hundred,  and  then 
ceased  altogether.  Among  the  other  best  wells  on  the 
farm  were  the  Burtis  and  the  Davis. 

The  Boyd  Farm,  next  below  this,  has  singularly 
enough  proved  very  poor  territory,  though  it  is  entirely 
surrounded  by  that  which  is  exceptionally  good.  It  was 
at  one  time  the  seat  of  several  small  refineries,  all  of 
which  have  been  abandoned. 

The  Stevenson  Farm  in  this  vicinity,  but  not  reaching 


DEVELOPMENTS   ALONG    THE   CEEEK.  103 

to  the  Creek,  was  developed  in  1865,  and  proved  to  be 
valuable  territory,  though  possessing  no  remarkable  fea- 
tures. 

The  James  S.  McCray  Farm  has  been  so  exhaustively  de- 
scribed in  another  part  of  this  work,  that  we  pass  it  here 
to  notice  the  J.  W.  McClintock  Farm,  on  which  the  once 
flourishing  city  of  Petroleum  Centre  is  situated. 

The  farm  contains  two  hundred  and  seven  acres,  and 
was  leased  in  November,  1836,  by  George  H.  Bissell  and 
Co.,  and  in  the  following  February  put  into  a  joint  stock 
Company,  called  the  Central  Petroleum  Company  of  New 
York. 

It  embraces,  besides  the  land  on  which  the '  town  is 
situated,  the  circular  ravine  to  the  left,  called  Wild-Cat 
Hollow ;  nearly  every  square  rod  of  which  has  been  per- 
forated with  a  well  hole.  Not  less  than  a  hundred  and 
fifty  wells  have  been  drilled  on  this  territory,  and  nearly 
eighty  per  cent,  of  the  whole  number  have  been  remune- 
rative; and  this  was  undoubtedly — until  the  opening  up  of 
the  Parker's  Landing  field,  which  has  been  for  the  most 
part  very  sure  territory — the  best  showing  made  by  any 
farm  in  the  region. 

The  remarkable  results  shown  by  this  farm  are  un- 
doubtedly due  quite  as  much  to  the  excellency  of .  its 
management,  as  to  the  superiority  of  the  territory,  and 
stands  a  bright  example  of  the  result  of  the  judicious  and 
economical  management  of  an  oil  farm.  Instead  of  giving 
out  leases  at  random,  to  parties  willing  to  pay  a  large 
bonus  for  the  sake  of  getting  leases  on  which  to  found 
speculative  joint  stock  companies,  and  then  in  all  proba- 
bility— having  enriched  themselves  by  the  sale  of  stock, 
neglect  the  development  of  the  land — instead  of  pursuing 
this  course,  so  common  in  the  oil  region,  they  only  gave 
leases  to  actual  operators,  and  at  a  uniform  royalty  of  one 
half  the  oil. 


104  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

In  1865  a  bonus  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  and 
"one  half  the  oil"  was  offered  for  ten  leases  on  the  farm, 
but  promptly  refused,  and  the  result  proved  the  wisdom 
of  the  decision,  for  while  the  owners  may  not  have 
realized  more  than  this,  they  have  retained  the  unre- 
stricted control  of  their -property. 

Three  million  dollars  worth  of  oil,  or  more,  must  have 
been  taken  from  this  territory,  and  the  revenue  from 
ground-rent,  for  building,  must  at  one  time  have  been  very 
great.  The  village  retains  of  its  former  population  only 
about  fifteen  hundred,  and  as  the  farm  is  now  exhausted, 
beyond  the  hope  of  another  excitement,  must  continue 
to  decay: 

Scarcely  less  decided  was  the  success  that  attended  the 
development  of  the  Hyde  and  Egbert  Farm,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  creek  along  the  foot  of  the  McCray  hill.  It 
was  purchased  in  1859,  of  the  original  owner,  Davidson, 
and  soon  after  tested  with  fair  results,  but  it  was  not 
until  1863  that  the  flowing  wells,  which  rendered  this 
territory  the  subject  of  such  wild  speculation,  were  struck. 

The  Maple  Shade,  and  the  renowned  and  singular 
Coquette  well  are  the  most  remarkable  in  the  history  of 
this  farm. 

The  first  operations  here  were  the  least  successful,  and 
thus  it  came  to  be  looked  upon  as  doubtful  territory  for 
some  time. 

The  Hayes  farm  below  the  Hyde,  and  Egbert  is 
situated  on  both  sides  of  the  creek,  and  though  pretty 
well  developed,  and  always  with  fair  success,  it  has  never 
been  so  well  managed  as  many  of  the  farms  by  which  it  is 
surrounded. 

On  this  farm  was  attempted  the  experiment  of  digging 
a  shaft  five  feet  by  seventeen,  to  the  oil-bearing  rock 
known  as  the  "  third  sand."  The  enterprise  was  under- 
taken by  the  Petroleum  Shaft  and  Mining  Company,  and 


DEVELOPMENTS   ALONG   THE   CREEK.  105 

the  shaft  was  commenced  in  the  rear  of  the  Maple  Shade, 
near  the  line  of  the  Hyde  and  Egbert  farm.  Though 
unfortunately  for  the  cause  of  science,  the  gas  would 
have  rendered  the  enterprise  impracticable,  it  was  aban- 
doned for  want  of  means,  when  down  less  than  a  third 
of  the  distance. 

The  Story  Farm,  better  known  as  the  Columbia  Farm, 
lies  directly  below  the  Hayes.  It  was  bought  in  1859, 
by  Pittsburgh  parties,  for  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  some 
other  contingent  benefit,  and  shortly  afterward,  put  into 
the  Columbia  Oil  Company,  which  has  ever  since  owned 
and  managed  it.  It  has  been,  all  in  all,  the  best  man- 
aged piece  of  oil  territory  in  the  region,  and  is  still 
paying  large  dividends.  The  sale  has  been  the  subject 
of  much  litigation,  and  the  Story  family  lately  obtained 
a  judgment  for  about  $20,000  against  the  property. 
George  H.  Bissell,  had  determined  to  buy  the  farm,  and 
was  willing  to  pay  all  the  owner  asked;  but  the  old  lady 
refused  to  sign  the  conveyance. 

Seeing  that  it  would  be  for  his  interest  to  buy  the  wife's 
good-will,  he  returned,  decided  to  offer  her  a  fair  sum  for 
her  contingent  interest — the  bargain  as  far  as  the  old 
gentleman  was  concerned,  was  considered  by  both  parties 
as  made — but  the  agent  of  the  others  had  been  a  few 
hours  ahead,  and  having  the  documents  all  ready  for 
signing,  induced  the  woman  to  concur  in  the  sale  of  a 
property,  that  has  been  worth  at  least  five  millions  of 
dollars,  by  the  promise  of  a  new  silk  dress !  To  any  one 
wishing  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  profits,  and  risks 
of  the  oil  business,  when  judiciously  and  economically 
managed,  no  better  insight  is  afforded  than  by  the  study 
of  the  exhaustive  annual  reports  of  this  most  excellent 
company. 

Next  below,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  is 


106  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

the  Tar  farm,  one  of  the  very  best  on  the  creek,  and  re- 
nowned for  the  Phillips  and  the  Woodford  wells,  the  first 
of  which,  when  struck,  is  said  to  have  produced  3,000  bar- 
rels per  day,  and  the  latter  1,000  barrels  per  day,  though 
in  both  cases  it  is  probable  the  figures  are  too  high. 

They  were  situated  within  two  rods  of  each  other,  and 
the  subterranean  connection  between  their  sources  of  sup- 
ply, was  so  manifest  that  when  the  "Woodford"  pumped, 
the  only  remedy  left  the  "Phillips"  was  to  draw  the  tubing 
and  let  the  surface  water  down  to  shut  off  the  oil  from 
both. 

Enormous  sums  were  offered  by  both  owners,  but  as 
either  had  it  completely  in  his  power  to  render  the 
property  of  the  other  worthless,  neither  was  willing  to 
settle  until  both  wells  were  nearly  ruined  by  the  surface 
water,  and  the  consequence  has  been  that  many  smaller 
wells  than  either,  have  yielded  as  much  oil  as  both. 
These  famous  wells  are  located  on  the  bank  of  the  creek 
to  the  left  (going  down)  of  the  railroad  bridge,  and  still 
pumping,  they  are  a  subject  of  interest  to  travelers,  who 
view  them  from  the  car  windows. 

THE  BLOOD  FARM  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  be  developed, 
and  therein  may  be  said  to  have  been  its  misfortune,  for 
in  1861,  and  1862,  when  oil  was  almost  valueless,  often 
selling,  in  bulk,  as  low  as  ten  cents  per  barrel,  and  not  un- 
frequently  suffered  to  run  to  waste  as  utterly  worthless, 
this  farm  produced  more  than  all  of  the  oil  region  to- 
gether, and  before  the  time  of  speculation  and  high  prices 
was  exhausted,  or  nearly  so,  there  were  a  great  number 
of  good  wells,  many  of  them  flowing,  and  one  that  flowed 
twenty-five  hundred  barrels  per  day.  Below  this,  at  the 
mouth  of  Cherry  Tree  Run,  is  the  RYND  FARM,  which, 
though  now  producing  comparatively  little,  was  once  good 
territory.  Not  less  than  a  dozen  different  companies  had 
interests  in  this  farm,  and  the  whole  flat  has  been  perfo- 


DEVELOPMENTS   ALONG   THE   CHEEK.  107 

rated  with  holes,  though  it  was  rather  uncertain  territory. 
The  Widow  McClintock's  or  Steele  Farm,  next  below,  has 
also  been  good  territory.  The  farm  was  the  property  of 
the  widow  McClintock,  who  was  herself  burned  to  death 
in  1863,  while  lighting  the  fire  with  oil,  and  left  the  farm, 
together  with  all  the  accumulated  money  of  two  years' 
production  to  her  adopted  son,  John  Steele.  It  has  since 
passed  from  his  possession,  and  is  now  in  the  hands  of  a 
company.  Its  production  at  present  is  very  small. 

The  John  McClintock  Farm,  below  this,  at  the  mouth  of 
Cherry  Kun,  commenced  producing  in  1860,  and  like  those 
immediately  above  it,  produced  at  a  time  when  oil  was 
worth  least. 

The  number  of  wells  sunk  on  this  tract  cannot  now  be 
ascertained,  but  must  have  been  very  great.  Though  but 
few  of  them  were  large  enough  to  be  singular,  nearly  all 
were  remunerative. 

There  were  also  several  refineries  on  the  farm  at  one 
time,  which  are  now  abandoned. 

The  Buchanan  Farm^  situated  on  either  side  of  Cherry 
Run,  being  mostly  upland,  neither  of  them  were  thor- 
oughly developed  until  the  speculative  fever  of  1864  and 
'65  brought  them  into  the  market  as  the  basis  of  the  for- 
mation of  joint-stock  companies,  but  the  narrow  flats  along 
Oil  Creek  had  previously  been  tested  with  considerable 
success. 

The  village  of  Rouseville,  still  a  flourishing  town,  with 
a  population  of  nearly  three  thousand,  is  situated  partly  on 
both  of  these  farms. 

Though  both  farms  have  been  quite  productive,  and 
have  had  several  large  wells,  the  percentage  of  dry  holes 
has  been  very  great. 

There  were  several  smaller  refineries  on  both  those  farms, 
and  the  number  of  stock  companies  was  beyond  all  belief. 

The  Ham.  McClintock  Farm,  containing  three  hundred 


108  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

and  fifty  acres  is  situated  at  McClintock's  Station  on  the 
Oil  Creek  Kailroad,  and  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  stream. 
It  is  one  of  the  first  farms  that  came  into  the  market  as 
oil  territory — being  in  fact  the  second — for  here  were 
found  the  surface  indications  which  for  the  first  year  or 
two  were  thought  by  most  operators  necessary  to  warrant 
the  sinking  of  a  well. 

For  some  years  before  the  idea  of  adopting  artesian 
boring  in  the  development  of  Petroleum  had  dawned  upon 
the  world,  the  owner,  Hamilton  M'Clintock,  had  collected 
oil  from  a  spring  that  bubbled  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
creek,  and  around  which  he  built  a  crib  in  order  to  pre- 
vent the  oil  from  being  borne  away  on  the  current  of  the 
water.  By  occasionally  skimming  the  pool  inside  this 
crib,  and  sometimes  agitating  the  ground  with  a  pick  or 
crowbar  to  the  depth  of  a  few  inches,  he  collected  several 
barrels  in  the  course  of  a  year  without  giving  himself 
much  trouble,  and  it  was  all  disposed  of  with  some  profit 
to  the  surrounding  farmers,  and  was  sent  to  Pittsburgh  by 
the  lumbermen  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  But  though 
fifty  barrels  might  have  been  annually  collected,  it  is 
doubtful — reports  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding — if 
ever  more  than  five  actually  were.  The  third  well  to 
produce  oil  on  the  creek  was  sunk  in  this  crib  for  Brewer, 
Watson  and  Co.,  by  J.  D.  Angier.  The  town,  which  took 
its  name  from  the  farm,  and  which  was  once  a  brisk,  little 
place,  has  been  nearly  obliterated. 

The  Clapp  Farm,  purchased  of  the  original  owner  in 
1859,  by  George  H.  Bissell  and  Arnold  Plummer,  was 
thereafter  at  once  thoroughly  developed,  and  though  there 
was  a  large  percentage  of  dry  holes,  the  number  of  pay- 
ing wells  was  also  very  great,  and  the  fact  that  Mr.  Bis- 
sel  was  at  the  same  time  conducting  the  largest  barrel 
factory  in  the  oil  region,  enabled  him  often  to  ship 
his  oil  to  market  when  others  either  sold  it  to  speculators 


DEVELOPMENTS   ALONG   OIL   CREEK.  109 

for  ten  cents  a  barrel,  or  let  it  run  to  waste  because  they 
could  not  afford  to  pay  two,  and  two  and  a  half  dollars 
apiece  for  barrels  to  ship  it  in. 

The  total  daily  product  of  all  the  wells  in  June,  1860, 
was  estimated  at  200  barrels.  By  September,  1861,  the 
daily  production  had  reached  700  barrels,  and  then  com- 
menced the  flowing  well  period,  with  an  addition  to  the 
production  of  six  or  seven  thousand  barrels  a  day.  The 
thing  was  monstrous,  and  could  not  be  endured !  The 
price  fell  to  twenty  cents  a  barrel,  then  to  fifteen,  and  then 
to  ten !  Coopers  would  sell  barrels  for  cash  only,  and  re- 
fused to  take  their  pay  in  oil,  or  in  drafts  on  oil  ship- 
ments. Soon  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  barrels  on  any 
terms,  for  all  the  coopers  in  the  surrounding  country  could 
not  make  them  as  fast  as  the  Empire  well  could  fill  them. 
Small-producing  wells  were  forced  to  cease  operations, 
and  scores  became  disheartened  and  abandoned  their 
wells.  The  production  during  the  early  part  of  1863 
was  scarcely  half  that  of  the  beginning  of  1862,  and  that 
of  1864  was  still  less.  In  May,  1865,  the  production  had 
declined  to  less  than  4,000  barrels  per  day. 

In  the  winter  of  1864,  and  1865,  the  "United  States 
well,"  at  Pit  Hole,  was  struck,  and  flowed,  as  estimated, 
January  7,  1865,  650  barrels  per  day.  By  this  well 
came  the  famous  Pit  Hole  excitement,  which  must  ever 
stand  prominent  in  the  history  of  the  Oil  Region  of 
Pennsylvania.  Pit  Hole  City  was  commenced  May  24, 1865, 
and  soon  the  town  contained  a  population  estimated  at 
8,000.  (See  the  history  of  flowing  wells.) 

At  one  time  Pit  Hole  City  had  fifty  hotels;  several  of 
them  were  palatial  in  size,  and  truly  gorgeous  in  their 
equipment.  The  cost  of  the  Chase  House,  was  over 
$80,000;  the  cost  of  the  Morey  and  Bonta  Houses,  equally 
as  large.  It  had  miles  of  streets,  lined  with  buildings, 
including  banking-offices,  school-houses,  churches,  an 


110  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

opera  house,  and  other  appendages  of  a  first-class  modern 
city. 

Soon  the  production  of  oil  at  this  point  decreased  to  a 
mere  nominal  figure ;  fire  swept  away  whole  streets  of 
the  town ;  the  signs  of  decay  were  evident.  A  general 
collapse  took  place,  and  piece  by  piece  Pit  Hole  City  was 
carted  away  and  it  is  now  but  a  mere  "  settlement "  of  a 
few  hundred  inhabitants. 

Commencing  at  Titusville  in  1859,  the  tide  of  develop- 
ment swept  over  the  valley  of  Oil  Creek,  and  along  the 
Allegany  river,  above  and  below  Oil  City,  for  a  consider- 
able distance,  then  Cherry  Run  in  1864 ;  then  came 
Pit  Hole  Creek.  Benninghoff  and  Pioneer  Run — the  Woods 
and  Stevenson  farms,  on  Oil  Creek,  in  like  succession,  in 
1865  and  1866.  Tidioute  and  Triumph  Hill,  in  1867, 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  came  Shamburgh. 
In  1868  the  Pleasantville  oil  field  furnished  the  chief 
centre  of  excitement. 

A  lull  now  took  place,  to  be  followed  by  the  develop- 
ments on  the  McCray  Hill,  at  Petroleum  Centre,  and  on 
the  Shaw  farm  near  Rouseville,  Foster  farm  and  East 
Hickory  Centre,  and  then  the  great  "  down  the  river,"  or 
lower  oil  field  loomed  up  to  become  the  principal  centre  of 
production  at  the  present  time.  (See  chapter  on  lower 
oil  field.) 

"THE  SOUTHERN  IMPROVEMENT  COMPANY." 
During  1872,  unparalleled  excitement  prevailed  in  the 
petroleum  business.  This  year  witnessed-  the  formation 
and  collapse  of  the  most  formidable  speculative  combi- 
nation ever  formed  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  the 
markets  and  production  of  petroleum. 

Early  in  the  year  "  a.  ring  "  of  railway  officials  arxd  re- 
finers, incorporated  by  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
termed  "The  Southern  Improvement  Company,"  entered 


DEVELOPMENTS  ON  OIL  CREEK.  Ill 

the  field.  This  company  possessed  extraordinary  powers  by 
virtue  of  their  charter,  and  forthwith  made  contracts  with  the 
principal  railway  companies,  .under  which  they  were  to  re- 
ceive enormous  rebates.  An  advance  of  one  hundred  per  cent. 
on  all  freight  charges-  on  crude  and  refined,  was  the  result 
of  this  combination. 

The  storm  of  opposition  which  "  The  Southern  Improve- 
ment Company"  met  with  from  the  producers,  forced  it  to 
dissolve,  and  its  charter  was  abrogated. 

Subsequently,  about  four-fifths  of  the  refiners  of  the 
United  States  organized  themselves  into  an  association  for 
the  purpose  of  forcing  a  margin  between  crude  and  re- 
fined. The  producers,  in  order  to  protect  themselves 
against  the  exactions  of  the  refiners,  formed  an  "  Agency' 
and  a  "  Union,"  which  embraced,  probably,  three-fourths 
of  all  the  producers.  The  control  of  the  production  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  of  the  markets  of  the  world,  was  given 
to  the  "  Union,"  but  after  one  or  two  vain  attempts  to 
regulate  them,  the  producers  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  could  not  be  done  without  the  aid  of  the  refiners.  So  a 
coalition  was  effected  with  the  refiners.  The  contract 
between  the  two  interests  was  a  singular  instrument.  The 
producers  agreed  to  stop  a  certain  portion  of  the  drilling  and 
pumping  wells,  and  the  refiners  agreed  to  keep  the  price 
of  refined  in  New  York  from  falling  below  twenty-seven 
cents  per  gallon,  and  take  immediately  200,000  barrels  of 
crude  from  the  "  Union  "  at  twenty-five  cents  above  the 
then  market  price.  Neither  of  the  contracting  parties 
carried  out  their  engagements,  and  the  coalition  was  not 
long-lived. 

Thus  we  have  briefly  sketched  the  discovery  and  de- 
velopment of  this  great  industry  to  the  present  day.  The 
discovery  of  Petroleum  must  be  placed  in  the  front  rank 
of  the  important  events  of  the  present  century,  and  no 
one  doubts  but  it  will  give  light  to  coming  generations 


112  HISTORY   OF    PETROLEUM. 

and  to  nations  yet  unborn.  By  the  accident  of  its  dis- 
covery it  was  found  that  the  Creator  had  placed  beneath 
the  crust  of  the  earth,  a  reservoir  of  oil,  giving  as  brilliant 
a  light  as  any  discovered  substance.  We  have  not  at- 
tempted to  picture  the  scenes  of  excitement  of  the  early 
days  of  the  business — the  anxious  drillers,  the  smiling, 
wealthy  fortunates,  the  downcast,  ruined  unfortunates, 
the  busy  teams  conveying  the  barreled  liquid  to  the 
water,  the  oil-begrimed  and  mud-besmeared  boats,  the 
eager  barterer  and  the  earnest  seller.  The  scenes  of  to- 
day but  mirror  those  of  the  days  of  the  commeticement 
of  petroleum  mining. 


THE  OIL  FIELDS  OF  AMERICA.  113 


THE  OIL  FIELDS  OF  AMERICA. 


WEST  VIRGINIA  AND  OHIO. 

IT  is  almost  impossible  to  describe  or  rather  define  the  limits  of 
what  is  called  the  oil  region  of  West  Virginia.  Streams  which 
empty  into  the  Ohio  river,  as  far  as  fifty  miles  above  Marietta, 
afford  the  usual  surface  indications  of  oil.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  below  Marietta,  the  Ohio  river  touches  the  northeast  corner 
of  Kentucky,  and,  on  the  streams  which  empty  into  the  Ohio  at 
this  point,  oil  is  said  to  abound,  and  to  have  been  discovered  in 
paying  quantities.  From  Fishing  Creek,  which  empties  into  the 
Ohio,  fifty  miles  above  Marietta,  there  is  a  country  running  back 
from  ten  to  thirty  miles  from  both  banks  of  the  Ohio,  that  affords 
surface  indications.  Of  course  the  existence  of  oil  throughout  all 
this  vast  region  is  doubtful. 

On  the  Ohio  side  of  the  river  are  the  counties  of  Washington, 
Athens,  Morgan  and  Noble,  in  which  oil  has  been  drilled  for  and 
found.  On  the  Virginia  side,  there  are  eight  counties, — Tyler, 
Calhoun,  Roane,  Jackson,  Kanawha,  Wood,  Wirt,  Richie,  and 
Pleasants, — in  which  oil  has  been  found.  These  twelve  counties 
embrace  a  territory  which  extends  away  from  Marietta  in  every 
direction,  and  whose  extent  is  from  thirty-five  to  sixty  miles. 
Great  excitement  prevailed  on  the  discovery  of  oil  in  this  region  in 
1860,  and  was  followed  by  speculations  in  land  and  the  formation 
of  oil  companies.  As  a  specimen  of  the  producing  character  of 
this  oil  territory  in  the  early  days  of  the  business,  we  may  instance 
the  Dutton  well,  on  Duck  Creek,  Ohio,  which  was  struck  in  1 860, 
8 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

at  a  depth  of  fifty  feet,  and  averaged,  it  is  said,  from  seventy  to  one 
hundred  barrels  per  day  for  a  considerable  time.  Another,  called 
the  Steel  well,  on  Duck  Creek,  produced  some  five  hundred  barrels 
per  day  for  some  weeks,  and  in  1865  was  producing  five  barrels 
per  day.  This  well  was  drilled  to  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet. 
In  the  Summer  of  1864,  a  well  called  the  Dixon,  was  sunk  eight 
hundred  feet,  when  it  commenced  flowing  at  the  rate  of  thirty  bar- 
rels per  day.  The  Bull  Creek  region,  on  the  Virginia  side,  had  in 
1865,  some  forty  or  fifty  wells,  the  largest  of  which  yielded  sixty 
barrels  per  day. 

In  1860,  when  the  excitement  was  at  its  height,  a  crisis  occurred. 
The  price  of  petroleum  suddenly  went  down,  until  the  barrels,  as 
they  came  from  the  hands  of  the  cooper,  were  of  more  value  than 
the  oil  that  filled  them.  Two  causes  led  to  this — the  world  had 
not  learned  the  uses  of  petroleum,  and  the  early  surface-wells, 
threw  forth  so  many  barrels  of  oil  that  the  supply  was  larger  than 
the  demand,  and  the  market  became  overstocked.  This  disheart- 
ened capitalists,  and  lands  fell.  Then  came  the  war.  Virginia 
seceded,  and  the  line  of  the  Ohio  became  contested  ground.  Mc- 
Clellan  crossed,  but  his  forces  were  too  busy  with  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  railroad  to  think  of  protecting  the  oil-hunters,  then  swarming 
along  the  Kanawha.  Although  there  was  no  organized  army  of 
Confederates  in  Western  Virginia,  there  was  nevertheless  a  body 
of  guerillas  who  were  constantly  harassing  the  country.  The  result 
was  a  panic.  In  a  week  the  whole  party  left.  The  derrick  stood 
in  the  field  over  the  half-drilled  well,  the  oil  gushed  up  and  over- 
spread the  ground,  the  houses  were  torn  down  for  camp-fires,  and 
the  whole  enterprise  perished.  As  soon  as  the  turmoil  of  war 
ceased  the  drill  was  again  set  in  motion,  and  operations  have  con- 
tinued with  singularly  uniform  success  up  to  the  present  time.  The 
present  centre  of  the  oil-producing  region  of  West  Virginia  is  Vol- 
cano, formerly  called  White  Oak,  which  consists  of  two  narrow 
belts  of  land,  only  a  few  rods  wide,  running  parallel  with  each  other 
a£ a  distanced  &bout  a  stone's  throw  apart.  Their  direction  the 


THE  OIL  FIELDS  OP  AMERICA.  115 

longest  way  is  north,  10°  east  and  south,  10°  west.  Here,  within  a  dis- 
tance of  six  miles  in  length  by  one  mile  in  width,  is  embraced  the  whole 
of  the  West  Virginia  heavy  oil-producing  territory.  Within  this  nar- 
row limit  is  produced  all  the  heavy  lubricating  oils  known  as  the 
Globe,  Peninsular,  Grant,  Hillsdale,  Mount  Farm,  White  Oak,  Gales 
Fork,  Volcanic,  &c.,  which  have  become  so  well  known  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe.  In  one  respect  the  geological  formation 
here  is  remarkable.  Upon  either  edge  of  these  oil  belts  the  rock, 
upon  the  surface,  stands  at  an  angle  of  about  80°  to  90°,  and  is 
precisely  similar  in  character  to  the  rock  found  in  the  surrounding 
territory  at  a  distance  of  six  hundred  feet  below  the  surface.  While 
the  lower  stratum  of  rock  entirely  surrounds  the  oil  belt,  it  is  miss- 
ing under  it,  or  rather,  instead  of  lying  six  hundred  feet  below  the 
surface,  it  here  appears  at  the  surface.  The  conclusion  is  irresistible 
that  this  belt  rock  once  formed  part  and  parcel  of  the  lower  stra- 
tum, and  that  at  some  period  by  some  convulsion  of  nature  it  has  been 
forced  to  the  surface.  We  suppose  it  is  to  this  circumstance  that  Vol- 
cano is  indebted  for  its  name.  It  is  somewhat  limited  in  numbers 
and  territory,  yet  its  productions  aid  not  a  little  in  making  up  the 
aggregate  of  the  material  wealth  of  the  nation.  There  are  at  pre- 
sent quite  a  number  of  new  wells  being  put  down,  both  for  heavy 
and  light  oils.  The  heavy  oil  is  found  at  a  depth  of  about  600 
feet,  while  for  the  lighter  oils  it  is  necessary  to  go  down  to  a  sand 
rock  1200  feet  below  the  surface.  The  wells  yield,  on  an  average, 
about  three  barrels  per  day. 

The  territory  known  as  the  Glantz  tract,  and  owned  by  the  Oil 
Run  Petroleum  Company  at  Volcano,  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
producing  tracts  in  West  Virginia.  From  twenty-three  wells, 
during  1872,  this  company  had  an  average  production  of  3,750 
barrels  per  month,  of  all  gravities  ranging  from  29°  to  35°.  The 
oldest  well  on  the  tract,  the  Moore  well  No.  1,  produced  alone 
7,735  barrels  of  35°  gravity.  The  second  well  struck,  the  Shafer 
and  Stein  Well/has  produced  2,748  barrels  of  oil,  29°  gravity, 

A  recent  writer  at  the  Ohio  oil  field,  and  particularly  of  the 


116  HISTOEY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

Cow  Run  region,  says : — For  the  encouragement  of  oil  producers, 
and  men  interested  in  the  production  of  oil  in  Ohio,  and  more 
especially  to  show  that  Pennsylvania  is  not  the  only  oil-producing 
territory,  I  present  you  the  following  figures  and  data  of  a  two  acre 
lease,  situated  at  Cow  Run,  Washington  Co.,  Ohio.  Grecian  Bend 
Company's  Well,  No.  1,  struck  oil  in  April,  1869,  at  a  depth  of 
300  feet,  and  produced  966  barrels  until  January  1,  1870.  Well 
No.  2  struck  oil  December  25,  1869,  at  a  depth  of  700  feet,  and 
produced  21,985  barrels  until  January  1, 1870.  Well  No.  3  struck 
oil  June,  1870,  at  a  depth  of  400  feet,  and  produced  1134  barrels 
until  January  1,  1871.  Besides  this,  the  Company  have  paid  the 
Transportation  Company  over  500  barrels  charged  for  evaporation. 
This  is  the  production  of  only  one  company.  The  School  House 
Company  have  produced  and  sold,  the  past  year,  over  $60,000 
worth  of  oil.  And  Perkin's,  Harvey  &  Co.'s  wells  have  produced 
and  sold,  to  August  1,  1870,  $212,566.33  worth  of  oil.  This  is 
the  production  of  only  three  companies,  out  of  a  host  of  good  com- 
panies located  at  Cow  Run. 

The  West  Virginia  and  Ohio  oil  fields  are  justly  celebrated  for 
the  production  of  lubricating  oil,  which  is  held  in  great  estimation 
in  England  and  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 

The  combined  production  of  Ohio  and  West  Virginia  for  1872, 
was  estimated  at  320,000  barrels. 

Tn  connection  with  our  sketch  of  the  Oil  Region  of  West  Vir- 
ginia and  Ohio,  we  would  offer  some  facts  in  relation  to  the  discovery 
of  what  has  been  termed  Crystallized  Petroleum.  In  noticing  it 
we  simply  give  the  reports  of  two  eminent  scientific  men — Prof. 
Lesley  and  Prof.  W.  F.  Roberts. 

Professor  Lesley's  Report. 

The  following  report  is  taken  from  the  printed  proceedings  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society : 

Professor  J.  P.  Lesley  communicated  a  notice  of  a  remarkable 
coal  mine  or  asphalt  vein,  cutting  the  horizontal  coal  measures  of 
Ritchie  county,  West  Virginia. 


THE   OIL    FIELDS   OF   AMERICA.  117 

Mr.  Lesley  said,  that  through  the  kindness  of  R.  H.  Gratz,  Esq  , 
of  Philadelphia,  a  descriptive  letter  and  a  map  had  been  submitted 
to  him,  which  exhibited  geological  facts  of  more  than  ordinary 
interest  to  those  who  are  studying  the  origin  of  the  rock  oil  deposits 
of  the  "West. 

The  curious  points  of  the  case  require  careful  investigation,  but 
there  seems  to  be  no  good  reason  to  doubt  the  essential  correctness 
of  the  statement. 

The  coal-beds  of  West  Virginia  pass  horizontally  through  the 
prong-like  ridges  from  valley  to  valley.  Some  of  these  ridges  run 
as  narrow  on  top  and  as  regular  as  railroad  embankments,  for  threo 
or  four  miles,  and  in  nearly  straight  lines,  between  equally  straight 
vales  terminating  bowl-shaped  against  some  cross  ridge. 

It  is  across  such  vales  and  dividing  ridges,  that  the  asphaltum 
vein  of  Ritchie  county  makes  a  straight  course,  "two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  long,  as  at  first  measured,  but 
since  then  traced  in  both  directions  still  further,  so  that  now  it  is 
known  to  extend  more  than  two-thirds  of  a  mile."  Explorations 
beyond  this  line  have  failed  to  find  it.  Its  outcrop,  four  feet  ten 
inches  thick,  was  discovered  crossing  a  ravine  fifty  feet  wide  at  the 
bottom,  and  rising  on  each  side  with  slopes  of  nearly  forty-five 
degrees.  On  one  of  these  hill-sides  at  a  height  of  ninety  feet,  the 
outcrop  showed  the  same  thickness,  but  at  a  height  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  feet,  it  was  found  to  be  but  two  feet  six  inches 
thick.  It  is  not  certain  that  this  diminution  is  in  a  vertical  direc- 
tion ;  it  may  be  lateral ;  for  the  slope  between  the  ninety  and  the 
hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  levels  is  more  gradual,  especially  upon 
the  western  side. 

In  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  a  vertical  shaft  was  sunk  to  a  depth 
of  thirty-four  feet  upon  the  vein,  which  continued  uniformly  four 
feet  ten  inches  thick,  the  asphaltum  being  filled  in  pure  and  clear, 
without .  the  least  admixture  of  earthy  or  foreign  ingredients,  be- 
tween the  smooth  and  almost  perfectly  vertical  walls  of  yellowish- 
greenish  sandstone,  lying  in  horizontal  layers,  through  which  this 


118 


HISTOEY  OF   PETKOLEUM. 


gash  or  fault  was  once  no  doubt  an  open  fissure,  communicating 
with  some  reservoir  of  coal  oil  which  still,  it  may  be,  lies  beneath 
it  undisturbed.  The  most  interesting  part  of  the  phenomenon  for 
structural  geologists  is  this  gash. 

The  substance  which  fills  this  gash-fault  in  the  coal  measures  of 
Northwestern  Virginia,  resembles  the  glossiest,  fattest  caking  coals, 
and  has  a  decidedly  prismatic  structure;  breaks  up  into  pencils, 
with  flat,  lustrous  faces  and  sharp  edges,  but  the  faces  not  set  at 
any  fixed  angles  to  each  other,  so  that  the  effect  upon  the  eye  is 
rather  that  of  a  fibrous  than  of  a  prismatic  structure.  At  the  same 
time  there  is  not  the  slightest  appearance  of  layers,  but  the  aspect 
of  complete  uniformity  or  homogeneity.  Pieces  are  taken  out,  it 
seems,  a  foot  in  diameter  ;  and  that  portion  of  one  of  these  pieces 
which  I  have,  shows  a  plain  face  on  one  side,  as  if  it  had  encoun- 
tered one  of  the  walls,  and  is  covered  with  a  delicate  film  of  a  dead 
black  substance  like  charcoal  dust,  which  is  probably  the  dust  of 
the  vein  substance  itself. 

Pieces  lying  at  the  surface  of  the  ground  are  said  to  yield  as 
much  oil  as  specimens  taken  out  six  or  eight  feet  down.  By  the 
ordinary  dry  distillation  the  substance  is  reported  to  yield  as  much 
oil  as  the  Albert  coal.  By  a  different  process,  the  first  and  only 
trial,  at  which  six  hundred  pounds  in  one  charge  were  used,  forty- 
four  and  a  half  gallons  of  superior  oil  were  obtained.  Retorts  are 
now  upon  the  ground. 

Geological  and  Mineralogical  Report  of  Prof.  W.  F.  Roberts. 
McFarland's  Run  is  a  noted  locality  in  the  great  oil  formation  of 
West  Virginia.  A  vertical  crevice  filled  with  crystallized  or  soli- 
dified petroleum  in  a  direct  line,  is  found  crossing  the  deep-cut 
gorges  of  small  streams  and  rising  to  the  summits  of  the  ridges 
bounding  them. 

In  the  month  of  June  last  I  made  a  special  visit  to  this  part  of 
the  country  for  the  express  purpose  of  making  a  full  and  particular 
examination  of  this  phenomenon,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  in  geology. 


THE  OIL   FIELDS   OF   AMEEICA.  119 

I  travelled  from  Cairo  station  on  the  Parkersburg  branch  of  the  Bal- 
timore and  Ohio  Railroad,  over  a  road  then  in  progress  of  grading 
by  the  Ritchie  Coal  Oil  Company  for  a  branch  railroad  to  connect 
their  property  containing  this  solidified  petroleum  deposit  with  the 
main  road,  and  during  this  journey,  I  could  not  detect  anything 
remarkable  or  different  in  the  general  geological  structure  of  the 
country  to  that  shown  in  some  of  the  other  oil-producing  sections 
in  the  West  Virginia  "  oil  belts,"  with  the  exception  of  an  opening 
made  on  the  line  of  the  road  on  the  Ritchie  Coal  Oil  Company's 
lands  near  McFarland's  Run,  where  there  is  a  vein  of  a  peculiar 
substance,  resembling  somewhat  some  of  the  most  glossy  kinds  of 
bituminous  coal.  Having  secured  specimens,  I  continued  round 
the  point  of  the  hill,  and  entered  a  deep-cut  gorge  formed  by  a 
small  run,  a  branch  of  McFarland's,  and  at  about  half  the  distance 
from  the  head  of  the  run,  I  reached  a  shaft  sunk  "upon  the  line  of 
a  fissure,  or  crevice  in  the  strata,  in  this  peculiar  kind  of  substance, 
of  the  same  quality  and  characteristics  of  the  specimen  taken  from 
the  place  above  referred  to.  This  crevice  is  a  vertical  one,  four 
feet  four  inches  wide,  and  the  strata  adjoining  it  on  both  sides  is 
horizontal,  a  common  micaceous  sandstone,  in  their  plys  of  a  yel- 
lowish-green color,  of  the  carboniferous  formation. 

The  shaft  I  was  informed  was  sunk  thirty-four  feet,  and  the  cre- 
vice continued  of  the  same  width  downward.  It  was  perfectly 
filled  with  solidified  petroleum.  The  course  of  the  dyke  or  open- 
ing in  the  horizontal  coal  strata  run  in  a  course  S.  75J  W.  and  to 
N.  75J  E.  which  I  traced  in  both  directions.  I  traced  the  open- 
ing which  had  been  made  in  the  line  of  this  crevice  up  the  steep- 
sided  ridges  and  over  their  summits,  and  I  found  from  the  specimens 
visibje  at  the  several  shafts  that  the  solidified  or  crystallized  petro- 
leum rose  to  the  surface,  or  nearly  so,  in  all  places.  The  west  hill 
bounding  the  ravine  where  the  dyke  crossed  over,  I  judged  to  be 
about  three  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ravine  where  the 
deep  pit  was  sunk.  The  east  hill-side  is  about  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  favine.  Developments  of  shafting  have  been  made  pro- 


120  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

ving  the  continuation  of  this  petroleum-filled  crevice  in  solidified 
form  more  than  one  mile  in  a  direct  line,  and  bounded  by  a  flat  or 
horizontal  formation  of  shales  and  sandstones  of  the  middle  car- 
boniferous series,  similar  in  all  respects  to  other  ridges  in  oil-pro- 
ducing sections  in  West  Virginia.  The  walls  of  the  crevice  are 
perfectly  smooth  and  regular,  and  exceedingly  well  defined. 

The  crystallized  petroleum  has  a  fibrous  structure.  It  is  very 
glossy  in  appearance,  of  the  color  of  the  purest  specimens  of  richest 
and  fattest  bituminous  gas  coal.  It  melts  under  heat  readily  and 
runs  like  pitch.  This  peculiar  mineral  has  been  wrongly  called 
"  asphaltum."  Its  fracture,  lustre,  and  general  appearance  are  al- 
together foreign  to  the  Albert  coal,  or  to  any  other  mineral  of  that 
class.  By  experiments  made  upon  this  crystallized  petroleum,  it 
has  yielded  from  one  hundred  and  forty  to  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  gallons  of  oil  to  the  ton. 

Developments  will  prove  the  continuation  of  the  crevice  filled 
with  the  same  material — the  crystallized  petroleum — into  and 
through  the  properties  I  am  reporting  upon,  and  in  consequence  of 
its  embracing  within  their  boundary  lines  two  deep-cut  valleys  and 
high  ridges  intervening,  an  immense  quantity  can  be  mined  above 
water  level,  and  one  cannot  put  an  estimate  too  high  upon  this  pro- 
perty, containing  as  it  does,  this  valuable  mineral  substance, 

How  deep  this  solidified  material  may  continue  down  beneath 
the  level  of  the  valleys  is  not  determined.  The  crevice  may  get 
much  wider,  and  still  be  filled  with  this  solid  petroleum.  One 
thing  is  however  certain,  that  it  has  its  source  from  some  immense 
subterranean  lake  or  large  opening  in  the  strata  of  the  lower  mea- 
sures of  liquid  petroleum.  The  numerous  gas  and  oil  springs 
closely  contiguous  and  ranging  with  this  dyke  show  that  there  are 
beneath  the  surface  large  cavities  filled  with  oil. 

At  the  junction  of  the  streams  which  meet  in  the  southern  part 
of  this  tract  is  excellent  boring  territory,  room  enough  for  a  large 
number  of  oil  wells.  The  geological  structure  of  the  strata  shows 
great  disturbance  underneath  the  surface,  and  here  may  be  seen  the 


THE   OIL   FIELDS   OF   AMERICA.  121 

pure  oil  oozing  out  from  the  joints  of  the  rocks,  and  gas  springs 
bubbling  up  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  throwing  off  oil  in  rain- 
bow-colored tints.  The  nature  of  the  formation,  the  geological 
structure  of  the  strata  and  the  contour  of  the  surface,  as  well  as 
other  indications,  show  that  this  tract  of  land  is  located  in  an  ex- 
ceedingly rich  petroleum  section  of  country,  where  proper  develop- 
ments should  be  prosecuted  without  delay.  One  thing  more  may 
with  propriety  be  mentioned,  that  this  solidified  petroleum  in  all 
places  where  it  has  been  shafted  upon  is  free  from  any  deleterious 
foreign  substance.  It  is  as  pure  as  oil  generally  is  found  in  the 
best  oil-producing  localities  of  West  Virginia. 

A  few  years  ago  thirty-two  barrels  of  this  mineral  were  sent 
north,  and  all  of  it  was  retorted,  a  large  portion  being  put  through 
on  a  commercial  scale  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  resulted  as  fol- 
lows: 

YIELD   OF   ONE   TON. 

Illuminating  Gas,  7000  feet,  @     $2.00        $14.00 

140  Gallons  Oil,  @         .60  84.00 

17  Bushels  Coke,  @         .12  2.0 

100.04 

The  analysis  of  Professor  R.  Ogden  Doremus  gives  the  following 
result : 

100   PARTS  MINERAL  DRIED  AT   212°   FAH. 

Ash, 2.15 

Hydrogen, 8.45 

Carbon, 75-96 

Oxygen, 12.75 

Nitrogen, 69 

KENTUCKY   AND   TENNESSEE. 

Along  Boyd's  Creek,  Barren  County,  Ky.,  three  miles  from 
Glasgow,  are  the  best  oil  wells  of  this  state.  Glasgow  is  a  town 
of  three  thousand  inhabitants,  situated  on  a  branch  of  the  Louis- 
ville and  Nashville  Railroad,  and  one  hundred  miles  from  Louis- 


122 


HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 


ville,  and  eighty  from  Nashville,  Tennessee.  At  the  present  time 
there  are  fifteen  wells  in  operation,  producing  oil.  The  Armell 
wells  in  this  district  are  drilled  to  the  depth  of  130  feet,  three  of 
which  are  flowing  about  three  barrels  each  per  day.  Two  of  these 
wells  have  flowed  for  six  years,  and  at  one  time  produced  400  bar- 
rels per  day.  Chess,  Corley  &  Co.,  oil  refiners  at  Louisville,  who 
own  a  large  scope  of  territory  in  this  section,  have,  met  with  good 
success  as  oil  operators,  having  thus  realized  a  large  fortune. 

Their  Well  No.  1  is  producing  35  barrels  per  day.  At  first  it 
produced  70,  and  has  now  been  pumping  three  years.  A  Pitts- 
burgh Company  own  some  land  here,  on  which  they  have  put 
down  a  number  of  wells,  producing  on  the  average  3  J  barrels  per 
day. 

The  pioneer  oil  men  of  this  region  are  Messrs.  Chess,  Corley  & 
Co.  and  Messrs.  Graham  &  Thomas.  Bothihese  firms  commenced 
operations  early  in  1865. 

During  1865  and  1866  considerable  interest  was  manifest  on 
Boyd's  Creek,  and  many  wells  were  put  down,  all  of  which  pumped 
or  flowed  more  or  less  oil.  With  the  increased  production,  the 
price  fell  from  $1.50  to  25  cents  per  barrel,  at  the  wells.  The  oil 
was  40°  gravity,  and  tainted  with  sulphur.  With  the  limited 
knowledge  of  refining  at  that  time,  it  was  difficult  to  deodorize  it. 
Operators  became  discouraged,  and  the  territory  fell  at  once. 
Some  wells,  within  a  few  days  of  completion,  were  abandoned,  and 
the  oil  adventurers  went  back  to  their  various  homes,  many  dis- 
couraged, others  hopeful  that  when  oil  would  become  scarce,  and 
science  overcome  the  deodorizing  difficulty,  all  would  again  be 
prosperous.  In  1869  active  operations  again  commenced,  and 
with  improvements  in  the  refining  process,  the  prices  rose  from 
25  cents  to  $2.00  per  barrel. 

There  was  quite  an  excitement  in  1867  near  Burks  ville,  Cum- 
berland county,  Kentucky,  which  was  occasioned  by  the  striking 
of  the  Crocus  well  at  a  depth  of  300  feet,  which  flowed  300  barrels 
heavy  oil  per  day,  after  discharging  salt  water  for  three  months, 


THE   OIL   FIELDS   OF   AMERICA.  123 

but  this  promising  field  was  abandoned  by  reason  of  the  extreme 
cost  and  difficulty  of  shipment  and  consequent  low  price  of  oil. 
There  is  one  well  in  this  section,  which  is  only  80  feet  in  depth, 
and  has  flowed  six  dollar  lubricating  oil,  for  the  last  six  years. 
The  oil  from  this  well  is  teamed  40  miles  to  the  river,  and  shipped 
down  the  Cumberland  to  Nashville,  Tennessee.  Navigation  on 
the  river  is  only  open  five  months  in  the  year.  In  Cumberland 
county,  on  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Cumberland  river,  a  well 
exists  which  was  put  down  to  a  depth  of  400  feet,  and  has  flowed 
about  60  barrels  per  day  into  the  stream,  for  upwards  of  four  years. 
The  oil  from  this  well  is  quite  black,  very  heavy,  and  of  a  rank 
smell.  Along  Scrub,  Indian  and  Greasy  creeks,  on  the  Cumber- 
land river,  there  are  many  oil  springs,  which  produce  from  one  to 
five  barrels  per  day  of  surface  oil.  These  wells  or  pits  are  dug 
down  to  the  blue  clay  to  the  bed  rock.  Cumberland  county  is  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  range,  and  is  hilly  and  rocky.  Burksville, 
the  county  seat,  is  connected  with  a  railroad  by  a  forty  mile  stage 
route. 

Near  Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  a  well  was  sunk  to  the  depth  of  80 
feet,  which  produced  oil  in  considerable  quantities,  for  over  twelve 
months.  The  owner  built  a  small  refinery  for  the  manufacture  of 
his  own  production.  This  was  the  only  well  drilled  in  this  section. 
Within  a  few  miles  of  the  Mammoth  Cave,  near  Green  river, 
there  are  several  oil  springs.  The  surface  rock  here  is  so  impreg- 
nated with  oil  and  gas,  that  a  match  will  ignite  them.  At  Boston 
station  there  is  a  gas  well,  some  90  feet  in  depth,  which  produces 
a  considerable  quantity  of  gas. 

There  is  little  doubt  but  the  north-western  part  of  Kentucky  is 
rich  in  coal  and  oil.  We  know  that  one  well  was  drilled  in  Hen- 
derson county,  near  the]  Ohio  river,  which  passed  through  a  four- 
foot  vein  of  coal,  at  twelve  feet  from  the  surface;  and  another  six- 
foot  vein,  at  50  feet  from  the  surface,  and  at  450  feet  a  small  well 
of  the  best  lubricating  oil  ever  produced  was  discovered. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  practical  oil  men  who  have  visited  Kentucky, 


124 


HISTOEY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


that  the  best  oil  lands  have  not  yet  been  touched,  and  that  all 
that  is  required  to  make  this  rich  mineral  State  prosperous,  is  capi- 
tal and  energy. 

Little  is  known  of  the  producing  capabilities  of  Tennessee,  but 
it  bears  the  evidence  of  being  an  important  field  of  enterprise  for 
the  production  of  oil.  At  White  Bluff,  Dixon  county,  thirty  miles 
west  of  Nashville,  there  is  a  small  green  oil  well  of  the  same  char- 
acter and  quality  as  that  of  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania.  This 
well  is  500  feet  in  depth. 

Mr.  Eugene  Scott,  of  Karns  City,  Butler  Co.,  Penna.,  informs 
us  that  he  visited  the  wells  on  Boyd's  creek,  late  in  the  fall 
of  1872.  He  says,  "I  was  astonished  to  learn  that  in  this  enlight- 
ened age  of  petroleum  mining,  the  people  here  knew  so  little  about 
the  business.  The  derricks  were  only  30  to  45  feet  in  height; 
some  with  one  bull  wheel,  and  some  with  two.  The  whole  rig  is 
of  white  wood.  *.*****  They  dressed  their  bits  in  the 
shape  of  a  wedge,  and  reamers,  why,  they  are  beyond  description. 
Drilling  is  only  done  in  the  day  time,  and  it  is  usual  to  take  six 
weeks  to  get  down  150  feet.  The  seed-bag  is  put  on  the  tubing, 
which  is  frequently  drawn  in  testing.  The  oil-bearing  rock  is  a 
kind  of  shell  and  sand-rock  mixed,  and  of  a  white  color.  The 
stream  (Boyd's  creek)  had  been  tested  for  three  miles  north  and 
south,  and  finding  the  best  wells  in  the  centre  of  the  line  of  tests, 
and  that  the  hills  had  not  been  operated  on,  I  concluded  that  the 
belt  crossed  the  creek,  and  ran  parallel  with  the  Pennsylvania  belt, 
therefore  I  took  a  large  lease  southwest  of  the  best  producing  well 
on  the  creek,  and  at  the  depth  of  250  feet  struck  28  feet  of  loose 
sand,  full  of  oil  and  salt  water.  Two  miles  northeast  of  this,  and 
on  a  line  with  the  best  wells  on  the  creek,  my  partner  drilled  a  well 
with  a  Pennsylvania  oil  rig,  and  in  six  days  reached  the  sand-rock, 
but  there  was  little  oil ;  the  well  produced  only  one  barrel  per  day." 
"  It  is  usual  when  a  well  is  dug  in  this  country,  to  pump  it  for  a 
fe\v  days,  and  then  tube  with  three-quarter  inch  pipe,  and  let  it 
flow — then  remove  the  machinery,  and  drill  another  well.  The 


THE   OIL   FIELDS   OF   AMERICA.  125 

bed  rock  of  the  Barren  County  oil  field  is  white  limestone,  which 
in  the  valley  is  about  eight  feet  from  the  surface.  The  surface 
rocks  are  usually  flat,  and  so  porous  that  water  will  run  through 
them  readily. 

We  are  furnished  by  the  gentleman  above  named  with  the  fol- 
lowing well  record : 

30  feet,  white  limestone ; 

40    "     shale; 

60    "     limestone ; 

20  "  oil-bearing  rock,  a  kind  of  shell  and  sand  rock,  mixed, 
and  of  a  white  color. 


OIL  REGION  OF  INDIANA/ 

In  the  western  part  of  Crawford  County,  Ind.,  there  is  an  oil  re- 
gion that  has  never  been  properly  tested  by  that  only  sure  test — 
"  the  drill."  The  surface  indications  of  oil  extend  five  miles  in 
width  by  over  ten  miles  in  length,  and  consist  of  a  tar  spring, 
oil  springs,  and  oil  rock,  of  several  varieties  and  in  great  abun- 
dance. The  tar  spring  has  been  known  ever  since  the  county  was 
settled,  and  is  nine  miles  from  Leavenworth;  it  is  about  half  way 
up  a  large  hill  which  is  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high ; 
it  flows  after  each  heavy  rain,  and  in  the  course  of  a  year  throws 
out  tons  of  tar  or  asphaltum.  It  is  between  the  Otter  fork  and  the 
West  fork  of  Little  Blue ;  the  nearest  well  to  it  is  the  Dexter  well, 
which  is  two  miles  distant.  The  oil  springs  are  found  on  Otter 
fork,  and  West  fork,  and  on  hollows  tributary  to  them,  there  are 
quite  a  number  of  them  from  which  small  quantities  of  oil  can  be  col- 
lected. The  oil  rock  is  found  in  great  abundance.  At  one  place 
on  Otter  fork,  the  bed-rock  of  the  creek  is  a  soft,  black  sandstone, 
and  contains  over  thirty  per  cent,  of  oil  If  a  piece  of  it  is  put  into 
a  fire  it  blazes  like  a  candle,  and  will  continue  to  burn  till  it  loses 
one-third  of  its  weight.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Dexter  well  on  the 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

West  fork,  the  oil  rock  is  in  great  abundance,  and  in  almost  every 
hollow — and  their  name  is  legion — in  all  that  locality,  rock  more 
or  less  impregnated  with  oil  may  be  found. 

The  Wells. — In  1861  a  well  was  sunk  to  the  depth  of  ninety- 
seven  feet,  by  a  man  named  Custerman.  He  obtained  no  show  of 
oil,  and  never  pumped  the  well.  The  war  caused  him  to  stop  work, 
and  he  has  never  been  heard  of  in  that  locality  since.  In  1863-4 
several  wells  were  sunk — three  on  the  west  fork.  The  Dexter  well 
is  580  feet  deep,  and  has  a  fine  show  of  oil ;  it  rises  constantly  in 
the  conductor;  a  quart  can  be  taken  off  every  morning.  It  is  a 
lubricating  oil  of  good  quality.  It  now  belongs  to  the  Dexter  Oil 
and  Salt  Company,  and  they  intend  to  sink  it  deeper  and  pump  it 
this  year.  .The  Clark  well,  located  three  miles  below,  is  640  feet 
deep ;  found  no  oil ;  a  little  gas  and  saltish  water.  The  well  has 
been  left  open  and  is  filled  with  sediment.  The  Eaton  Sulphur 
Well,  three  miles  further  down  the  creek,  is  only  275  feet  deep ; 
flows  white  sulphur  water.  It  is  becoming  a  great  resort  for  invalids. 

These  are  all  the  wells  that  have  ever  been  sunk  on  the  West 
fork.  On  the  Otter  fork,  there  have  been  five  wells  sunk.  A 
small  show  of  oil  was  found  in  two  of  them.  The  Golden  Salt 
well  is  one  of  them,  and  is  over  1,000  feet  deep.  It  is  a  good  salt 
well.  Two  of  the  other  wells  are  700  feet  deep.  All  of  these 
wells  are  below  the  indications.  No  well  has  ever  been  sunk  on 
either  creek  above  the  indications  except  the  one  mentioned. 

The  Geological  Position. — The  locality  is  in  the  sandstone  which 
underlies  the  great  Indiana  coal  field ;  the  first  strata  below  is  the 
carboniferous  limestone,  which  is  about  800  feet  thick";  the  next 
strata  is  known  as  the  knob  sandstone,  and  is  about  400  feet  thick ; 
the  next  is  a  black  shale  or  slate,  100  feet  thick,  and  is  the  last 
strata  through  which  they  passed  at  Terre  Haute,  in  sinking  their 
well,  which  is  the  only  successful  oil  well  yet  sunk  in  the  State. 
It  is  1,625  feet  deep. 

"  The  Crawford  County  Petroleum  and  Mining  Company  "  are 
now  sinking  a  well  at  Leavenworth.  It  is  to  be  sunk  through  the 


THE  OIL   FIELDS   OF   AMERICA.  127 

black  slate  penetrated  at  Terre  Haute,  which  will  be  a  depth  of 
about  1,300  feet. 

The  marked  difference  in  the  geological  formation  in  the  Indiana 
region  and  those  of  Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia  is  in  the 
limestone,  and  consequently  wells  will  have  to  be  deeper  here  to 
reach  the  main  source  of  the  oil,  which  lies  below  it.  While  the 
thick  strata  of  limestone  will  make  it  expensive  to  sink  wells,  it  is 
a  good  evidence  that  the  oil  exists  in  abundant  quantities,  or  it 
would  not  rise  so  far  through  it  and  make  so  great  and  extensive 
surface  show. 

The  Louisville,  New  Albany  and  St.  Louis  Railway  passes 
through  the  center  of  Crawford  County. 


CALIFORNIA. 

The  discovery  of  petroleum  in  California  adds  another  to  the  al- 
ready widely  varied  products  of  that  State.  It  has  been  known 
for  a  long  time  that  deposits  of  petroleum  existed  near  the  coast, 
but  as  yet  the  production  of  this  oil  has  been  unimportant.  The 
Learning  Petroleum  Company,  recently  organized  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, has  fairly  commenced  operations,  with  results  which  augur 
abundant  success.  The  crude  oil  is  found  in  the  mountains  of  the 
San  Fernando  District,  thirty-five  miles  north-west  from  Los  An- 
geles, from  which  point  there  is  railroad  communication  of  thirty- 
one  miles  with  the  Port  of  San  Pedro.  The  cost  of  transportation 
from  the  mines  is  2}  cents  the  gallon,  and  the  cost  of  refining  2 
cents  per  gallon  for  small  quantities,  and  1  \  cents  for  large  lots. 
Up  to  the  present  time  several  shipments  of  crude  oil  have  been 
received  at  San  Francisco,  aggregating  some  hundreds  of  barrels, 
which  have  found  immediate  purchasers  at  remunerative  rates.  The 
Gas  Companies  are  prepared  to  take  and  use  not  less  than  1,000 
barrels  per  day,  and  the  district  owned  by  the  company  is  suffi- 
ciently extensive  and  prolific  to  warrant  the  delivery  of  that  or 


128 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


even  a  greater  amount,  so  soon  as  the  requisites  can  be  obtained  to 
furnish  suitable  works.  These  shipments  have,  so  far,  been  the 
products  of  natural  springs  from  which  the  oil  was  dipped  with 
buckets ;  one  spring  is  now  producing  two  barrels  per  day ;  but 
when  a  system  of  scientific  operations  shall  have  been  introduced, 
the  yield  will  be  greatly  augmented.  It  is  the  opinion  of  capable 
gentlemen  who  have  carefully  examined  the  mines,  that  they  are 
of  sufficient  capacity  to  furnish  nearly  all  the  oil  required  for  con- 
sumption on  the  Pacific  coast. 


THE  OIL   FIELDS  OF   CANADA.  129 


THE  OIL  FIELDS  OF  CANADA. 


THE  CANADA  OIL  REGIONS. 

THE  first  discovery  of  Petroleum  oil  in  Canada  was  made  in  the 
township  of  Enniskillen,  in  the  County  of  Lamberton,  in  the 
extreme  western  section  of  the  province  of  Ontario. 

Among  the  settlers  on  the  almost  barren  and  unproductive  soil 
of  this  section  of  the  county,  was  a  lean,  swaggy  Down -Easter 
named  Shaw,  who  had  emigrated  thither  from  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts about  the  year  1836.  Shaw  is  represented  as  being  luck- 
less, thriftless,  and  poverty-stricken  to  the  last  degree.  He  had 
ever  been  considered  a  visionary,  a  schemer  of  impracticable  pro- 
jects, and  many  were  the  undertakings  which  he  broached  to  his 
friends  and  neighbors,  only  to  be  laughed  at.  In  the  years  1855- 
6,  he  set  the  seal  to  his  reputation  as  a  demented  visionary,  by  his 
vain  endeavors  to  get  up  a  stock  company  for  the  purpose  of  boring 
down  through  the  swamps,  with  a  view  to  extracting  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  a  substance  which  he  averred  existed  there  in 
exhaustless  quantities.  He  waxed  eloquent  on  this  theme,  and 
declared  his  conviction  that  beneath  the  barren  marshes,  a  source 
of  untold  wealth  lay  hidden.  By  these  and  similar  wild  represen- 
tations, Mr.  Shaw  ere  long  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  lunatic.  He 
was  wondered  at  by  some,  abused  by  others,  and  laughed  at  for  a 
fool  by  all. 
9 


130 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


It  must  be  premised  that  ever  since  the  original  settlement  of 
Enniskillen,  a  dark,  oily  substance  had  been  observed  by  the  set- 
tlers floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  creeks  and  swamps. 
Good  water  was  not  to  be  had.  No  matter  how  deep  the  wells 
were  dug,  the  water  was  brackish  and  ill-smelling,  and  in  some 
localities  totally  unfit  for  use :  while  a  surface  of  black,  oily  slime, 
frequently  arose  an  inch  thick,  as  cream  rises  on  new  milk.  Here 
and  there,  in  the  forest,  the  ground  consisted  of  a  gummy,  odcrife- 
rous,  tar-colored  mud,  of  the  consistence  of  putty.  These  places 
were  known  by  the  name  of  "  gum-beds/7  and  in  two  or  three 
instances  were  of  considerable  extent.  At  the  present  day  such 
"  surface  indications  "  as  these  would  reveal  the  secret  to  the  most 
casual  observer ;  but  to  the  primitive,  untutored  minds  of  the  then 
residents  of  the  township  they  failed  to  convey  any  other  impres- 
sion than  that  their  lines  had  not  fallen  in  very  pleasant  places. 

Finding  it  impossible  to  arouse  any  enthusiasm,  or  get  up  any 
agitation  on  the  subject,  Shaw  quietly  subsided  into  his  normal 
condition  of  mental  torpidity;  in  which  condition  he  remained 
until  the  summer  of  the  year  1857,  when  he  was  seized  by  another 
of  his  intermittent  attacks  of  enterprise,  and  this  time  he  deter- 
mined to  commence  operations  on  his  own  account.  He  inaugu- 
rated proceedings  by  digging  an  ordinary  well,  as  if  for  water,  in  a 
hollow  about  a  hundred  yards  from  his  dwelling.  He  worked 
away  at  intervals  for  some  days  without  attracting  any  notice,  and 
without  assistance  from  any  one.  Finally,  he  was  one  day  aroused 
while  eating  his  dinner  by  a  loud  explosion,  accompanied  by  what 
seemed  to  be  the  shock  of  an  earthquake.  Upon  running  out  to 
ascertain  the  nature  of  the  disturbance,  he  perceived  a  huge  foun- 
tain of  what  seemed  to  be  black  mud  bursting  with  great  violence 
from  the  hole  where  he  had  been  digging.  The  "  mud  "  emitted 
a  very  offensive  smell.  The  "jet,"  when  he  first  cast  eyes  upon  it, 
was,  as  nearly  as  he  could  judge,  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  it 
every  moment  increased  in  volume,  frequently  shooting  high  up 
into  the  air.  As  a -necessary  consequence,  the  ground  was  soon 


THE  OIL  FIELDS  OF  CANADA.  131 

flooded,  and  had  not  his  dwelling  been  built  on  an  elevation,  con- 
siderably higher  than  the  mouth  of  the  well,  it  would  have  been 
partially  submerged. 

Upon  examination,  the  substance  thus  ejected  proved  to  be  crude 
petroleum.  The  well  continued  to  flow,  with  occasional  brief  ces- 
sations, for  upwards  of  sixty-seven  hours,  and  this  in  a  large  and 
swift  stream,  which  poured  into  the  adjoining  creek,  and  the  con- 
tents were  thus  carried  away  and  lost.  The  neighbors  for  miles 
around  came  and  lent  their  assistance ;  but  of  course,  owing  to  the 
want  of  tanks  and  barrels,  only  a  very  inconsiderable  quantity 
could  be  preserved. 

The  neighboring  proprietors  followed  Mr.  Shaw's  example,  and 
leased  portions  of  their  lands  to  the  highest  bidders.  In  an  incon- 
ceivably short  space  of  time,  enterprising  operators  from  all  parts 
of  Canada  and  the  adjoining  republic  began  to  pour  in.  The  needy 
denizens  of  the  Enniskillen  swamps  began  to  realize  the  fact  that 
their  slimy  morasses  might  be  confidently  counted  on  to  yield  a 
revenue  such  as  could  never  be  hoped  for  from  the  richest  and  best 
cultivated  agricultural  soil  in  America.  Land  changed  hands 
rapidly,  and  from  one  thousand  to  two  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars an  acre  was  paid  for  territory  which,  previous  to  the  great  dis- 
covery, could  hardly  have  been  given  away.  The  more  common 
method  resorted  to,  however,  was  not  to  transfer  the  fee-simple  of 
the  lands,  but  to  grant  "  oil-leases "  thereof,  whereby  the  lessee 
acquired  the  exclusive  right  to  operate  for  oil  upon  the  land  for  a 
specified  number  of  years,  in  consideration  of  which  privilege,  a 
certain  sum  of  money — usually  several  hundreds  of  dollars  per 
acre — was  paid  down  to  the  lessor,  who,  by  the  terms  of  the  instru- 
ment, was  further  to  receive  a  percentage — generally  one-third — 
of  the  oil  produced;  called  a  "royalty."  Stores,  taverns  and 
dwelling-houses  sprang  up  all  around  with  marvellous  Celerity, 
forming  a  village,  to  which  the  name  of  Oil  Springs  was  given. 
Postal  and  telegraphic  communication  was  sKortly  afterwards 
granted,  passable  roads  were  constructed,  connecting  the  region 


132 


HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 


with  civilization,  and  for  some  time  all  went  merry  as  a  marriage 
bell.  The  supply  of  oil  was  supposed  to  be  almost  inexhaustible ; 
but  it  was  soon  found  necessary  to  spend  much  more  time,  and  to 
incur  much  greater  expense,  than  Shaw  and  his  immediate  succes- 
sors had  been  compelled  to  do.  In  other  words,  the  wells  would 
not  flow,  but  had  to  be  pumped,  and  it  became  necessary  not  only 
to  sink  a  surface- well  down  to  the  rock,  but  to  bore,  by  means  of 
the  drill,  through  the  rock,  until  the  vein  was  reached ;  whereupon 
oil  was  said  to  be  "  struck."  Frequently  a  vein  of  water,  instead 
of  oil,  would  be  struck,  which  had  to  be  exhausted  before  opera- 
tions could  be  proceeded  with,  and  this  sometimes  occasioned  great 
delay.  Meanwhile,  Mr.  Shaw  was  regarded  as  a  public  'benefactor, 
and  received  as  great  credit  as  if  he  had  discovered  the  philosopher's 
stone.  He  found  himself  in  the  possession  of  enormous  wealth, 
arising  partly  from  the  lease  of  his  lands,  and  the  royalties  there- 
from ;  but  chiefly  from  the  product  of  his  wells,  the  first  of  which 
continued  to  yield  from  three  hundred  to  six  hundred  barrels  daily. 
The  market  fluctuated  considerably ;  but  oil  seldom  brought  less 
than  six  dollars  per  barrel  at  the  well,  and  was  generally  much 
higher.  For  two  days  it  reached  the  enormous  figure  of  sixteen 
dollars  and  twenty-five  cents. 

Mr.  Shaw,  through  injudicious  speculation,  spent  all  his  splendid 
fortune.  He  came  to  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region  in  1868,  and 
was  employed  as  a  common  day-laborer  at  Titusville,  up  to  1870, 
at  which  place  he  died  broken-hearted  and  quite  unknown. 

About  thirty  miles  to  the  south-east  of  Oil  Springs,  near  the 
village  of  Bothwell,  another  large  vein  of  oil  was  struck,  and  ere 
long,  a  busy  community  sprang  up  there,  scores  of  wells  were  put 
down,  and  fortunes  made  and  lost.  Oil  was  soon  after  discovered 
five  miles  north  of  Oil  Springs,  to  which  place  was  given  the  sug- 
gestive name  of  Petrolia. 

In  the  year  1864,  Oil  Springs  contained  a  population  of  more 
than  three  thousand  inhabitants,  several  spacious  and  well-conducted 
hotels,  and  at  least  a  dozen  or  more  places  of  entertainment,  which 


THE   OIL   FIELDS   OF   CANADA.  133 

could  lay  no  claim  to  remarkable  distinction.  It  moreover  contained 
two  private  banking-houses,  a  Board  of  Trade,  a  printing-office 
and  weekly  newspaper,  and  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  wells,  all 
in  active  operation,  yielding  a  large  number  of  barrels  per  diem, 
and  more  were  being  put  down.  Money  was  plentiful,  and  gam- 
bling was  practised  on  a  scale  which,  for  Canada,  might  well  be 
pronounced  gigantic.  Every  night,  Sunday  night  not  excepted, 
was  consecrated  to  the  unholy  rites  of  "poker"  and  " euchre." 
Dancing  assemblies  were  formed,  tri-weekly  fandangoes  were  held, 
and  the  whole  place  presented  the  appearance  of  a  California  in 
miniature.  But  the  end  was  not  very  far  distant.  Already  the 
deposit  had  indicated  tolerably  palpable  symptoms  of  exhaustion. 
The  Shaw  well,  after  having  yielded  a  sum  total  of  thirty  thousand 
barrels — and  this  in  addition  to  the  immense  quantity  which  was 
lost  as  already  described — suddenly  collapsed,  and  refused  to  yield 
another  drop.  The  Twenty  Friends  well,  which  was  second  only 
in  importance  to  Shaw's,  followed  the  example  of  its  predecessor ; 
and  a  gradual  falling  off  was  perceptible  throughout  the  entire 
district.  Towards  the  end  of  the  year,  Hendrick's  well  revived 
the  hopes  of  the  operators  somewhat  by  a  daily  yield  of  seven  hun- 
dred barrels  for  about  a  week ;  but  in  the  course  of  a  fortnight 
these  seven  hundred  barrels  were  reduced  to  from  thirty  to  forty, 
and  shortly  afterwards  to  fifteen.  Operators  could  no  longer  count 
with  certainty  upon  striking  a  vein  of  oil  wherever  they  chose  to 
bore,  and  many  wells  had  to  be  abandoned  as  adry  holes."  Many 
even  of  the  yielding  wells  did  not  produce  oil  in  paying  quantities. 
About  this  time,  charlatans  professing  to  be  endowed  with  the 
mystery  of  the  "Divining  Rod"  made  their  appearance  on  the 
scene  ;  and,  though  laughed  at  and  condemned  by  nine-tenths  of  the 
operators,  they  contrived  to  realize  something  more  than  a  good 
livelihood  out  of  the  other  tenth.  Success  generally  followed  their 
predictions,  even  when  dry  holes  were  becoming  alarmingly  numer- 
ous in  the  district ;  but,  of  course,  the  secret  lay  in  their  former 
extensive  experience  of  surface  indications  in  Pennsylvania.  They 


134 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


could  form  something  more  than  a  plausible  guess  as  to  where  oil 
was  to  be  found,  but  their  science  gave  them  no  information  as  to 
the  quantity;  and  the  wells  sunk  by  their  directions  generally  ex- 
hausted themselves  in  a  day  or  two  from  the  time  the  vein  was 
struck. 

Though  Western  Pennsylvania  has  produced  numerous  flowing 
wells  of  wonderful  capacity,  there  is  no  quarter  of  the  world  where 
the  production  attained  such  prodigious  dimensions,  as  in  1862,  on 
Black  Creek,  in  the  township  of  Enniskillen.  The  first  flowing 
well  was  struck  there  on  January  11,  1862,  and  before  October  not 
less  than  thirty-five  wells  had  commenced  to  drain  a  store-house, 
which  provident  nature  had  occupied  untold  thousands  of  years  in 
filling  for  the  uses — not  for  the  amusement — of  man.  There  was 
no  use  for  the  oil  at  that  time.  The  price  had  fallen  to  ten  cents 
per  barrel.  The  unsophisticated  settlers  of  that  wild  and  wooded 
region  seemed  inspired  by  an  infatuation.  Without  an  object  save 
the  gratification  of  their  curiosity  at  the  unwonted  sight  of  a  com- 
bustible fluid  pouring  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  earth,  they  seemed 
to  vie  with  each  other  in  plying  their  hastily  and  rudely  erected 
"spring  poles"  to  work  the  drill,  that  was  almost  sure  to  burst  at 
a  depth  of  a  hundred  feet,  into  a  prison  of  petroleum.  Some  of 
these  wells  flowed  three  hundred,  and  six  hundred  barrels  per  day. 
Others  flowed  a  thousand,  two  thousand,  and  three  thousand  bar- 
rels per  day.  Three  flowed,  severally,  six  thousand  barrels  per 
day ;  and  the  "Black  and  Matthewson  "  well  flowed  seven  thousand 
five  hundred  barrels  per  day.  Three  years  later  that  oil  would 
have  brought  ten  dollars  per  barrel  in  gold.  Now,  its  escape  was 
the  mere  pastime  of  full-grown  boys.  It  floated  on  the  waters  of 
Black  Creek  to  the  depth  of  six  inches,  and  formed  a.  film  on  the 
surface  of  Lake  Erie.  At  length  the  stream  of  oil  became  ignited, 
and  the  column  of  flame  raged  down  the  winding  of  the  creek  in  a 
style  of  such  fearful  grandeur  as  to  admonish  the  Canadian  squatter 
of  the  danger,  no  less  than  the  inutility  of  his  oleaginous  pastimes. 
From  detailed  determinations,  Professor  Winchell  says,  "  I  have 


THE   OIL   FIELDS   OF   CANADA.  135 

ascertained  that,  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1862,  not  less 
than  five  million  barrels  of  oil  floated  off  on  the  water  of  Black 
Creek — a  national  fortune  totally  wasted." 

The  extent  of  the  field  is  very  great  if  we  include  every  place 
where  oil  is  found.  Reckoning  in  that  way,  a  district  of  two  hun- 
dred square  miles  would  not  more  than  cover  it.  Most  of  these 
places,  however,  present  only  oozings  from  limestone  rocks,  such 
as  occur  in  various  other  places  in  the  world  unconnected  with 
qualities  of  any  practical  value. 

The  region  of  value,  as  developed  by  actual  borings  to  this  time, 
and  the  existence  of  the  proper  rock,  is  confined  to  the  western 
part  of  the  Dominion,  and  extends  from  near  Lake  Erie  to  Lake 
Huron,  and  from  the  St.  Clair  river  eastward  seventy-five  miles  or 
more ;  thus  being  about  fifty  miles  north  and  south  by,  say,  one 
hundred  east  and  west.  Its  outside  lines  are  somewhat  irregular, 
but  such  is  the  general  range  of  it.  The  part  of  practical  value  is, 
thus  far,  limited  to  the  "  Carniferous  Limestone  "  (so-called  from 
containing  nodules  of  flint  resembling  a  harp),  and  which  is  mostly 
confined  to  the  southern  part  of  Canada. 

Within  this  range  Petrolia,  Bothwell  and  Oil  Springs  have  pro- 
duced nearly  all  the  oil.  The  latter  had  the  largest  wells,  though 
the  former  now  produces  more  than  nine-tenths  of  present  amount. 
Petrolia  is  about  sixteen  miles  southeast  of  the  outlet  of  Lake  Hu- 
ron ;  Oil  Springs  seven  miles  south  of  that,  and  Bothwell,  about 
thirty-five  miles  from  that. 

The  surface  of  the  country  above  described  is  nearly  level,  except 
where  the  ground  descends  to  the  bed  of  streams,  and  being  largely 
covered  with  a  dense  forest  of  hard-wood  trees,  is  often  wet  and 
muddy,  and,  in  a  rainy  season,  would  wonderfully  help  a  traveller 
to  appreciate  the  "slough  of  despond."  Time,  muscle  and  money 
will  however  cure  this,  and  while  the.  timber  now  keeps  out  the 
drying  process  of  the  sun,  it  is  furnishing  most  valuable  fuel  for 
the  oil  wells. 

Western   Canada   has   no   coal.     The  land  descends  gently  to 


136  HISTORY  OP  PETROLEUM. 

the  southwest,  and  the  general  dip  of  all  the  rock  formations  is 
westerly. 

In  drilling,  the  first  thing  found  is  a  yellow  clay,  and  sometimes 
sandy  soil,  five  to  fifteen  feet  deep.  Next,  a  compact  blue  clay  of  even 
consistency  and  appearance,  from  50  to  100  feet  deep.  This  rests 
on  a  thin  shell  of  limestone,  resembling  a  stalactite  formation,  which 
seems  to  have  been  crystalized  out  of  the  water  as  it  drained  from 
the  clay  into  the  next  bed  below,  which  is  composed  of  gravel  from 
two  to  eight  feet  thick. 

Next  comes  a  slate  rock  (called  Hamilton  shale),  usually  fifteen 
feet  thick,  in  the  region  of  good  wells,  and  thinning  out  to  nothing 
eastward.  The  surface  wells,  formerly  so  productive,  were  found  in 
this  gravel,  held  down  by  the  clay  and  thin  limestone ;  and  when, 
in  digging,  the  pick  broke  through  this  thin  shell,  the  oil  and  gas 
would  rush  up  so  rapidly  the  laborer  would  often  be  compelled 
literally  to  flee  for  his  life. 

Next  below  the  shale  lies  the  carniferous  limestone  already  re- 
ferred to,  the  upper  layer  of  which  is  about  forty  feet  thick.  This 
alternates  with  thirty  to  fifty  feet  of  slate;  then  comes  about  forty 
feet  more  of  limestone,  then  a  similar  amount  of  slate  again,  and 
then  (being  now  at  the  depth  of  about  250  feet  from  the  surface), 
is  again  found  the  limestone,  which  continues  250  feet  more,  making 
a  total  of  about  500  feet.  All  the  oil  is  found  within  that  range, 
being  regularly  in  veins  in  the  limestone,  and  the  deeper  veins 
usually  the  larger.  All  the  rocks  below  the  clay  are  more  or  less 
saturated  with  it. 

Next  below  the  oil-bearing  limestone,  is  a  stratum  of  hard  blue 
limestone,  averaging  four  feet  thick,  and  immediately  underneath 
that  a  vein  of  salt  water  apparently  inexhaustible. 

At  this  point  commences,  with  few  exceptions  in  the  oil  regions, 
what  is  called  the  Onondaga  salt  group,  which  is  a  formation  of 
unknown  thickness,  and  in  which  is  found  the  salt  of  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  and  also  of  Goderich  on  Lake  Huron,  at  a  depth  of  1,100 
feet.  It  has  been  penetrated  five  hundred  feet  in  several  places 
near  Petrolia  without  producing  a  barrel  of  oil. 


THE  OIL   FIELDS  OF   CANADA.  137 

To  prevent  mistake  we  ought  to  say  that  the  salt  of  Western 
Virginia  is  taken  from  quite  another  formation,  lying  geologically 
much  higher,  and  coming  very  near  the  coal,  being  the  "conglome- 
rate" of  the  coal  measures. 

In  some  places,  as  near  Oil  Springs,  the  upper  strata  seem  thin- 
ner/and  the  lower  thicker,  thus  bringing  the  oil-bearing  part  nearer 
the  surface,  giving  rise  to  large  surface  wells,  and  also  to  the  gum- 
beds  there,  which  resemble  the  residuum  after  the  oil  has  evapo- 
rated, or  been  drawn  off,  leaving  a  black  deposit  like  asphalt  cover- 
ing, in  one  or  two  instances,  a  hundred  acres. 

The  oil-baring  limestone  varies  from  a  close  compact  structure 
to  quite  open,  and  these  characteristics  are  presented  often  in  bands 
or  belts,  and  the  best  wells  are  expected  where  the  rock  is  most 
open.  In  all  its  parts  it  is  largely  composed  of  marine  shells  and 
other  fossils  peculiar  to  that  geological  horizon.  This  seems  to 
have  strengthened  the  theory  of  the  animal  origin  of  the  oil. 

The  thought  is  quite  romantic — perhaps  poetic — that  the  little 
animals  which  occupied  these  shells  ages  before  men  appeared,  un- 
willing to  be  of  no  use  in  the  future,  built  up  the  rocks  out  of 
the  ruins  of  their  dwellings,  and  then,  by  some  subtle  chemistry, 
allowed  their  substance  to  be  converted  into  oil  to  fill  them,  and 
thus,  with  true  charity,  even  "gave  their  bodies  to  be  burned." 
Other  facts,  however,  point  to  other  causes  of  the  oil,  at«  least  in  a 
majority  of  cases. 

The  rocks  of  Canada,  it  will  be  seen,  differ  widely  from  those  of 
Yenango  county,  Pa.,  these  being  almost  exclusively  limestone,  and 
others  sandstone,  alternating  with  slate. 

The  odor  of  the  oil  is  rather  unpleasant,  and  this  arises  from  the 
sulphur  and  other  substances  often  found  in  limestone.  Sulphuric 
acid  occurs  occasionally  in  the  water,  corroding  tools  and  tubing, 
and  sulphuret  of  iron  is  found  in  the  rock.  Its  decompositions  and 
recompositions  are  taken  up  by  the  oil.  An  English  deodorizing 
process,  called  Allen's,  is  now  effectually  used.  The  gravity  of  the 
oil  varies  from  33°  to  43°  Beaume.  Refining  produces  about  80 


138  HISTORY   OF  PETROLEUM. 

per  cent,  of  illuminating  fluid,  with  less  benzine  and  more  tar  than 
Pennsylvania  oil.  The  color  of  the  crude  is  dark  green,  shading  into 
black.  Very  little  paraffine  is  deposited  in  pumping,  and  benzine 
in  wells  is  rarely  used.  Casing  six  inches  in  diameter  is  put  down 
to  280  feet,  or  say  30  feet  into  the  hard  limestone,  which  shuts  off 
fresh  water  and  prevents  the  soft  shale  rock  from  caving.  Tank- 
age of  the  oil  is  accomplished  in  part  by  the  use  of  wooden  tanks, 
but  mostly  by  making  use  of  the  blue  clay  above  described.  It  is 
found  to  be  almost  impervious  to  water  and  quite  so  to  oil.  Ex- 
cavations are  made  in  it  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and 
sometimes  seventy-five  feet  in  depth.  Curbing  is  usfcd  to  prevent 
the  possibility  of  caving.  The  top  of  the  excavation  is  planked 
and  covered  with  earth.  Here  is  stored  the  oil,  both  crude  and  re- 
fined, free  from  waste  and  safe  from  danger  until  wanted,  when  it  is 
pumped  out,  sometimes  by  engines  and  sometimes  by  spring-holes. 
This  blue  clay,  which  the  farmers  in  some  parts  of  Northern  Ohio 
and  elsewhere  regard  with  exceeding  dislike,  is  here  one  of  the 
best  friends  of  the  oil-producer. 

Exhaustion  of  the  oil  is  not  to  be  anticipated  for  several  genera- 
tions. Enough  is  produced  for  the  present  wants  of  the  Dominion, 
and  as  Canada  develops  and  her  population  increases  upon  the  sur- 
face, the  .regions  below  will  respond  to  their  wants.  Nature  does 
not  display  all  her  treasures  at  once,  but  opens  one  storehouse  after 
another  as  man's  needs  may  require. 

Glaciers,  it  is  quite  evident,  once  moved  over  that  country,  for 
whenever  excavations  are  made  down  to  the  solid  rock,  scratches 
and  grooves  are  found,  varying  from  mere  lines  to  the  size  of  fif- 
teen inches,  and  nearly  all  running  in  a  uniform  course  of  north- 
east to  south-west.  They  dip  up  under  Lake  Erie  and  appear 
along  its  southern  shore,  wrhere  they  have  been  seen  often,  even  larger 
than  any  found  in  Canada.  Icebergs  have  also  floated  over  the 
same  sections,  and  evidences  of  both  are  abundant  from  New  Eng- 
land to  the  Mississippi  and  beyond,  and  from  Lake  Superior  nearly 
to  the  Southern  states.  - 


THE   OIL,   FIELDS    OF   CANADA.  139 

By  these  and  similar  means  were  many  of  the  Pennsylvania 
hills  torn  down  and  valleys  formed,  and  from  these  sources  came 
most  of  the  soil,  gravel  and  boulders  scattered  along  the  Oil  Creek 
country.  Their  home  was  in  the  North.  It  seems  wonderful  that, 
in  all  the  tumults,  earthquakes  and  upheavals  of  the  past,  nothing 
has  been  permitted  to  disturb  the  oil,  though  it  has  been  left  com- 
paratively near  the  surface  and  easily  accessible  to  man. 


HISTORY   OF  PETROLEUM. 


FOREIGN  OIL  FIELDS. 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  OIL  FIELDS. 

Much  attention  has  of  late  been  directed  to  this  field.  Peru, 
Ecuador,  Bolivia  and  Chili,  offer  inducements  to  speculators  in 
search  for  oil,  but  only  in  the  two  first-named  countries  are  the 
prospects  of  such  a  character  as  to  attract  foreign  capital  for  the 
present.  The  existence  of  oil  in  Peru  and  Ecuador  has  been  known 
as  far  back  as  the  tradition  of  these  countries  reached,  but  to  a  cer- 
tainty it  has  been  made-  use  of  for  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  by  the  Spaniards  (the  first  conquerors  of  the  Peruvian  em- 
pire, which  included  Ecuador,)  for  making  pitch.  The  oil  was 
collected  in  a  manner  similar  to  that  employed  by  the  Seneca  In- 
dians, to  obtain  the  petroleum  of  Oil  Creek  ;  viz :  shallow  pits  were 
dug,  and  the  oil  which  collected,  was  skimmed  from  the  surface, 
and  was  then  allowed  to  evaporate  under  the  heat  of  a  tropical  sun 
till  it  became  of  a  thick,  glutinous  consistence,  when  it  was  removed 
and  boiled  down  to  a  hard  pitch.  This  pitch  was  used  for  coating 
the  inside  of  earthenware,  and  particularly  Aguardienti  or  liquor 
jars.  The  Spanish  government  long  held  a  monopoly  of  this  trade, 
which  yielded  an  annual  profit  of  $35,000.  That  portion  of  the 
South  American  oil  field  lying  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  town  of 
Payta,  on  the  river  Achira,  was  purchased  by  a  Mr.  Lama  in  the 
year  1830,  who  worked  the  mines  or  pits  after  the  primitive  mode. 
In  1868,  a  Mr.  Blanchard  C.  Dean  in  prospecting  along  the  coast, 
discovered  the  works  of  the  Lamas,  and  proposed  a  partnership 


FOREIGN   OIL   FIELDS.  141 

agreement  with  them,  and  a  joint  prosecution  of  the  work.  They 
refused.  He  then  "  denounced "  *  a  mine  according  to  the  old 
Spanish  mining  laws,  which  resulted  in  a  law-suit.  Mr.  Rollin 
Thorne,  a  resident  of  Lima,  assisted  Blanchard  in  the  litigation 
and  won  the  suit,  and  possession  of  the  land,  which  in  extent  is 
thirty-one  miles  in  length  and  six  in  width. 

Within  the  past  year  the  courts  of  Peru  have  decided  that 
petroleum  is  not  denounceable.  Happily  for  the  Messrs.  Thorne, 
who  obtained  their  best  oil  territory  by  this  means,  the  Peruvian 
law  will  not  allow  a  decision  already  made  to  be  affected  by  any 
subsequent  one. 

The  Peruvian  Oil  Field  is  a  belt  on  the  west  coast  of  South  Ame- 
rica, running  along  the  thirtieth  parallel  of  longitude,  between  Point 
Aguja  on  the  south,  (or  needle  point)  and  the  town  of  Tumbez,  on 
the  north,  and  about  seven  degrees  south  of  the  equator.  The 
known  distance  is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  miles,  running 
north  and  south  along  the  Pacific  coast,  and  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  inland  to  the.  Andes.  It  is  a  singular  coincidence 
that  the  oil  belt  corresponds  with  the  Oil  Region  of  Pennsylvania, 
as  both  are  intersected  by  the  80th  degree  of  longitude.  The  topo- 
graphical structure  of  the  Peruvian  territory  is  broken  and  moun- 
tainous, and  has  evidently  been  subjected  to  volcanic  action.  It  is  also 
worthy  of  note  that  the  mountain  range  of  the  Andes  to  the  east,  con- 

*  The  proceeding  is  this.  Any  person  who  may  have  discovered  a  mine  or  vein  of 
any  metals,  or  as  the  Peruvian  mining  laws  say,  juices  of  the  earth,  can  present  him- 
self before  the  Mining  Tribunal  and  demand  possession  of  said  vein.  The  discoverer 
or  claimant  is  called  the  denouncer.  The  Tribunal  then  awards  him  the  possession 
of  a  piece  of  ground  containing  the  vein,  two  hundred  yards  long  and  of  the  same 
width.  Within  ninety  days  he  is  obliged  to  commence  work.  He  must  dig  a  pit  at 
least  ten  feet  deep,  by  the  same  in  length  and  width.  When  this  is  completed  his  next 
duty  is  to  publish  in  the  nearest  daily  papers,  for  thirty  days  in  succession,  calling 
and  asking  if  there  be  any  person,  or  persons,  who  can  show  a  better  right  to  the  dis- 
covery. Within  these  thirty  days,  he  must  also  post  handbills  in  the  village  nearest 
the  mine,  and  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  mining  tribunal  making  his  award,  bear- 
ing the  same  import. 

If  no  opposition  is  made  or  sustained,  then  the  Tribunal  decrees  the  ownership  and 
title  in  the  "  denouncer,"  and  that  the  former  owner  of  the  ground  shall  receive  from 
the  denouncer  payment  therefor  at  a  price  reckoned  without  the  added  value  of  the 
mine. 


142  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

tains  large  deposits  of  anthracite  coal,  and  that  this  coal  deposit  is 
about  the  same  distance  from  the  oil  field  of  Peru  as  our  Allegany 
anthracite  deposit  is  from  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region.  A  coating 
of  sand  about  eight  inches  thick  covers  the  entire  surface  of  the 
Peruvian  oil  field.  A  fossiliferous  deposit  of  marine  remains  is 
found  on  the  surrounding  hills,  from  250  to  300  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  The  same  deposits  are  also  found  on  the  bottom 
lands,  which  proves  that  this  part  of  the  continent  has  at  some  period 
of  time  been  covered  by  the  sea,  The  oil  belt  appears  to  belong  to 
the  tertiary  formation.  The  outcroppings  of  sand-rock  are  to  be 
met  with  everywhere,  as  we  find  them  in  Pennsylvania.  Shale 
exists  below  the  top  coating  of  sand,  and  is  completely  saturated 
with  oil ;  which,  to  say  the  least,  is  a  good  surface  indication.  The 
shale  varies  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  thickness.  These  strata  of 
shale  are  interlined  with  thin  lamina  of  bluish  grey  sand-rock,  of 
a  fine  texture.  The  first  sand-rock  is  to  be  found  at  a  depth  of 
from  130  to  132  feet,  and  is  from  five  to  ten  feet  thick.  The 
second  sand-rock  is  found  at  300  feet,  and  the  third  has  not  yet 
been  reached,  as  no  well  has  been  sunk  to  a  greater  depth  than  350 
feet. 

In  1871,  Messrs.  Rollin,  Thorne  &  Co.  commenced  drilling  with 
a  common  pod-auger;  three  wells  were  drilled  and  oil  was  found  in 
very  considerable  quantities  at  very  shallow  depths,  viz.,  226,  56 
and  38  feet.  Other  wells  followed  with  good  results.  In  July, 
of  last  year,  a  new  well  was  commenced  at  Point  Pavinas  and 
drilled  to  a  depth  of  351  feet,  or  51  feet  in  the  second  sand,  through 
which  the  tools  have  never  yet  penetrated.  No  crevice  was  per- 
ceptible to  the  driller,  as  a  volume  of  gas  and  oil  at  this  depth  was 
suddenly  ejected  from  the  well,  compelling  the  abandonment  of  the 
drilling.  The  well  was  finally  tubed,  and  both  valves  and  sucker- 
rods  put  in,  to  diminish  the  flow,  which  was  calculated  at  1,000 
barrels  per  day.  The  well  is  now  flowing  250  barrels  per  day 
with  the  lower  valve  in.  From  all  the  wells  struck  on  this  territory 
great  volumes  of  gas  continually  issue.  The  gravity  of  the  oil  is 


FOREIGN    OIL   FIELDS.  143 

from  40  to  50  degrees  Beaume.  In  color  it  is  a  little  darker  than 
Pennsylvania  oil,  and  it  has  the  same  odor  as  an  oil  of  the  same 
gravity.  It  yields  from  70  to  75  per  cent,  of  110  fire-test  kerosene 
when  refined,  and  is  a  superior  article. 

A  contract  has  been  entered  into  with  Messrs.  K.  Thorne  &  Co.  by 
an  Anglo-Peruvian  firm  for  two  hundred  barrels  crude  oil  per  day  at 
$5  gold,  extending  over  a  long  period.  This  firm  is  now  building 
a  refinery  of  two  hundred  barrels  capacity  at  the  point  of  operation. 
In  the  year  1864,  Messrs.  G.  H.  Bissell  and  James  Bishop,  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  leased  of  Don  Diego  Lama,  his  estate  of 
Prancora,  consisting  of  4,500,000  acres.  A  company  called  the 
Peruvian  Oil  Company  was  formed,  with  capital  of  $5,000,000. 
Operations  were  soon  commenced  by  the  company,  on  the  northern 
portion  of  the  tract  at  Zorritos,  twenty  miles  south  of  the  Tumbez 
river,  immediately  on  the  coast. 

This  company  has  put  down  a  number  of  wells,  with  good  suc- 
cess. In  the  early  part  of  1868,  the  company  struck  a  well  which 
produced  300  barrels  per  day  for  nearly  a  year,  when  it  caved  in, 
and  the  production  ceased.  The  company  refine  their  own  oil,  and 
find  a  ready  market  for  this  product  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  Austra- 
lia, and  New  Zealand.  The  President  of  the  company  is  Mr.  Geo. 
H.  Bissell. 

In  one  well  on  the  company's  lands,  the  following  is  the  order 
in  which  the  rocks  were  found : 

Soapstone  and  slate, 

Sandrock  and  slate, 

Conglomerate  limestone, 

Hydrate  of  iron,  or  reddle, 

Cretaceous  sandstone, 

Carboniferous  slate, 

Gravel-pebble,  in  which  the  oil  was  found. 
Oil  was  met  at  18  feet. 


144 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


ECUADOE. 

The  oil  fields  of  Santa  Elena,  in  the  Republic  of  Ecuador,  is 
spoken  of  in  the  following  terms  by  Raymond  De  Peiger,  Engineer 
and  Geologist  to  the  Government  of  Ecuador,  in  his  report  to  the 
President  of  the  Republic.  He  says :  "  Petroleum  is  to  be  found 
in  the  country  in  very  large  quantities.  On  a  surface  of  about 
four  square  leagues  from  the  sulphureous  spring  of  San  Vicente  to 
the  sea  shore,  wells  have  been  sunk,  and  the  bituminous  matter 
obtained  in  a  liquid  state.  Its  consistence  is  not  the  same  in  the 
different  wells.  In  some  of  them  it  is  fluid,  like  whale  oil;  in 
others,  it  has  the  consistence  of  butter  at  ordinary  temperature.  At 
the  surface,  or  upper  part  of  many  wells,  it  can  be  seen  in  hard 
compact  masses,  which  probably  have  been  formed  by  the  evapora- 
tion of  the  liquid.  This  oil  has  a  dark-brownish  color,  which  gets 
darker  with  the  greater  consistence  of  the  oil.  In  one  place  where 
it  oozes  from  the  bed  of  a  dried  stream,  the  bituminous  matter  has 
a  greenish  color. 

"Its  smell  is  not  disagreeable,  which  is  generally  the  case  with 
many  of  the  American,  and  especially  the  Canadian  oils.  As  the 
inhabitants  have  neither  the  knowledge  nor  the  implements  re- 
quired, the  works  are  very  rude.  Pits  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  deep 
are  dug  into  the  sand  till  clay  is  reached,  and  when  the  oil,  which 
oozes  from  all  sides,  has  filled  them,  it  is  dipped  out. 

"  Near  the  wells  are  primitive  furnaces,  built  with  sun-dried  clay, 
on  which  are  open  iron  boilers.  The  bituminous  matter  is  thrown 
into  these  vases  and  cooked  until  all  the  volatile  products  disap- 
pear, and  leave  a  thick  pitch. 

"In  *  *  *  Santa  Elena  it  is  not  admissible  to  suppose  that  pe- 
troleum has  been  formed  in  the  upper  sandy  deposits.  Its  presence 
there  can  only  be  explained  by  the  escape  of  the  bituminous  matter 
from  the  fissures  in  which  it  was  contained.  *****  "Y\re  mav 
then  safely  admit  that,  although  large  quantities  of  oil  are  to  be 
found  in  the  sand,  it  is  only  the  mere  waste  of  the  real  springs. 


FOREIGN    OIL   FIELDS.  145 

Deeper  sinking  will,  without  any  doubt,  be  very  profitable,  and 
yield  immense  proportions  of  petroleum. 

"  Their  proximity  to  the  sea  is  another  advantage  of  these  mines. 
AVhile  great  difficulties  have  been  encountered  in  the  United  States 
for  the  conveyance  of  the  oil  to  the  seaboard,  here  it  may  be  con- 
ducted at  very  small  expense,  from  the  wells  to  the  port  of  Santa 
Elena,  by  means  of  pipes,  if  the  crude  oil  is  exported. 

"  Although  I  should  think  that  it  would  be  more  profitable  to 
refine  at  the  place  of  production,  the  advantage  expressed  remains 
the  same. 

"  By  this  extent,  by  the  enormous  quantities  of  petroleum  that 
they  contain,  and  by  the  short  distance  which  lies  between  them 
and  the  sea,  these  mines  have  a  real  value.  Intelligent  capitalists 
will  promptly  appreciate  it,  and  works  will  soon  be  established.* 

"  By  building  refineries  at  Santa  Elena,  enough  kerosene  might 
be  produced  for  the  use  of  the  country,  and  for  the  markets  of  the 
neighboring  republics." 

What  has  been  said  of  the  topography  and  geology  of  the  Peru- 
vian field  applies  with  equal  force  to  that  of  Santa  Elena.  The 
climate  of  this  region,  though  situated  almost  directly  under  the 
equator,  is  mild  and  salubrious,  owing  to  the  elevation  of  the  coun- 
try and  its  proximity  to  the  Pacific,  the  cool  breezes  of  the  ocean 
exercising  a  favorable  influence  on  the  temperature.  In  the  coldest 
season  it  is  never  below  50°,  and  in  the  hottest  never  above  85°. 

These  discoveries  and  these  developments  are  destined  to  exercise 
a  potent  influence  on  the  future  of  the  trade  of  Peru  and  Ecuador. 
A  powerful  competition  will  be  offered  to  Pennsylvania  in  the 
markets  of  Europe,  Australia,  and  New  Zealand,  while  in  the  Ke- 
publics  of  Central  and  South  America  it  can  result  in  nothing  less 
than  entire  exclusion. 

*  Since  the  above  report  was  published,  the  Government  of  Ecuador  leased  the 
entire  oil  region  of  Santa  Elena  to  Mr.  Richard  Linn,  of  Titusville,  for  a  long  terra 
of  years,  with  most  valuable  concessions.  We  understand  thai  an  association  of  capi- 
talists are  now  preparing  to  operate  under  Mr.  Linn's  lease.  The  amount  of  territory 
covered  by  this  lease  is  70  miles  in  length,  and  70  in  breadth. 

10 


146  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

WEST  INDIA  ISLANDS. 

CUBA. 

In  the  early  history  of  Cuba  it  is  recorded  that  Havana  was  ori- 
ginally named  by  the  early  visitors  and  settlers  Carine — "  for 
there  we  careened  our  ships,  and  we  pitched  them  with  the  natural 
tar  which  we  found  lying  in  abundance  on  the  shores  of  the  beau- 
tiful bay."  Petroleum  springs  are  in  number  near  Havana,  rising 
from  fissures  in  the  serpentine  rocks  at  Guanabacoa,  and  have  been 
known  for  two  centuries.  "  Allan's  Manual  of  Mineralogy  "  says 
the  whole  of  Cuba  is  impregnated  with  bituminous  matter  to  a 
surprising  degree,  in  cells  and  cavities  in  the  rocks.  The  Esaai 
Politique  sur  I7 Isle  de  Cuba :  "  Petroleum  leaks  out  in  some,  indeed 
in  numberless  places  in  this  delightful  island,  from  amidst  the  fis- 
sures of  the  serpentine,  and  perhaps  has  deeply-seated  sources.  We 
are  acquainted  with  abundant  springs  of  petroleum  between  Hol- 
quin  and  Mayari,  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  island,  and  also  possess 
notices  in  the  direction  of  Santiago  de  Cuba." 

SANTO   DOMINGO. 

On  a  stream  called  "  El  Aguatediondo,"  or  stinking  water,  three 
miles  north  of  the  town  of  Azua,  this  spring  makes  its  appearance 
as  a  stagnant,  torpid  pool,  exuding  slowly  through  a  heavy  gravel 
deposit.  A  very  small  area  in  the  vicinity  is  covered  with  deposits 
of  pitch ;  for  half  a  mile  down  the  bed  of  a  rain-water  stream,  the 
gravel  or  sand,  as  the  case  may  be,  is  more  or  less  cemented  by  an 
impure  pitch,  sometimes  plastic,  oftener  hardened  to  asphaltum. 
The  pools  of  the  spring  and  neighboring  excavations  contain  a 
dirty  water  rendered  brown  by  contact  with  the  oil,  and  on  the 
surface  is  a  thin  scum  of  petroleum  dark  brownish-green  to  reflected 
light,  and  a  reddish-brown  by  transmitted  light.  An  attempt  was 
made  during  the  oil  excitement  of  1865  to  bore  here ;  the  usual 
tools  were  taken  to  the  spot,  but  the  undertaking  was  eventually 
abandoned.  In  the  driving  pipe  yet  remaining  at  the  mouth  of 
the  well,  may  be  observed  an  accumulation  of  oil,  through  which 


FOREIGN   OIL   FIELDS.  ,  147 

gas  bubbles  up.  At  the  distance  of  a  few  yards  from  this  well  are 
several  jets  of  gas.  Over  the  whole  area  there  is  not  a  single 
blade  of  grass  or  any  other  vegetable. 

BARBADOES. 

An  American  gentleman  in  business  on  this  island  in  1864 
visited  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  and  from  his  observations 
became  convinced  that  a  like  article  had  been  noticed  by  him  oozing 
out  of  the  rocks  and  lying  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  on  some  of 
the  plantations  of  this  island,  but  being  engaged  in  business  de- 
manding his  entire  attention,  he  made  no  efforts  to  test  the  facts  in 
regard  to  it.  During  the  year  1871,  a  firm  on  the  island  quietly 
commenced  to  secure  it  by  sinking  shafts  and  curbing  as  they  went 
down ;  it  was  soon  found  that  they  shipped  considerable  oil,  and 
that  it  was  very  valuable  for  lubricating  purposes,  netting  them 
thirty  dollars  per  barrel  on  the  island.  These  facts  coming  to  the 
knowledge  of  other  parties,  a  company  was  formed  and  a  favorable 
spot  secured  on  a  plantation  having  abundant  surface  indications. 
This  company  determined  to  take  advantage  of  the  modern  Penn- 
sylvania mode  of  obtaining  oil  by  drilling  and  pumping.  An  ex- 
perienced driller  was  engaged  in  Pennsylvania,  who  was  furnished 
with  a  full  rig — boiler,  engine  tools  and  wood  work,  and  was  dis- 
patched to  the  island.  In  a  letter  dated  the  2d  of  March  the 
driller  says:  "We  have  drilled  168  feet,  but  the  rock  is  soft  soap- 
stone,  and  not  hard  enough  to  prevent  '  caving/  so  we  had  to 
abandon  the  well.  "We  then  moved  the  rig  from  the  ravine  to 
higher  ground."  After  the  abandonment  of  this  well  it  was  found 
that  it  had  filled  up  seventy-five  feet  with  oil.  The  second  well, 
for  some  cause  unknown  to  us;  has  also  been  abandoned. 

TRINIDAD. 

In  the  island  of  Trinidad,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  back  from  the 
coast,  is  a  lake  called  the  Tar  Lake,  a  mile  and  a-half  in  circumfer- 
ence, apparently  filled  with  impure  petroleum  and  asphaltum.  The 
latter,  more  or  less  charged  in  its  numerous  cavities  with  liquid  bi- 


148  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

tumen,  forms  a  crust  around  the  margin  of  the  lake,  and  in  the 
centre  the  materials  appear  to  be  in  a  liquid  boiling  condition.  The 
varieties  contain  more  or  less  oil,  and  methods  have  been  devised 
for  extracting  this ;  but  the  chief  useful  application  of  the  material 
seems  to  be  for  coating  the  timbers  of  ships  to  protect  them  from 
decay.  By  the  patented  process  of  Messrs.  Atwood,  of  New  York, 
the  crude  tar  of  that  locality,  having  been  twice  subjected  to  dis- 
tillation and  treated  with  sulphuric  acid  and  afterward  with  an 
alkali,  is  then  further  purified  by  the  use  of  permanganate  of  soda 
or  of  potash.  Being  again  distilled  it  yields  an  oil  of  specific 
gravity  0.900,  which  is  fluid  at  32°  Fahr. 


THE  CARPATHIAN  PETROLEUM  BELT. 

The  existence  of  rock  oil  springs  and  wells  in  Galicia,  Moldavia 
and  Wallachia,  outside,  or  along  the  north,  north-east  and  east  foot 
hills  of  the  chain  of  Alps  which  surrounds  Hungary  on  the  side 
of  Russia,  has  been  known  for  some  years.  In  1859  the  Austrian 
geologist,  M.  Foetterle,  wrote  of  them  in  the  Year-book  of  the  K. 
K.  Geological  Institute.  In  1866  Hochstetter  and  Prosepny  pub- 
lished further  observations  in  the  same  Annual ;  and  licinsky,  in 
the  Berg-ung-Hutten-wesen  Zeitung,  No.  36-37.  In  No.  39-41, 
1866,  Prosepny  gave  another  account  of  them ;  as  Cotta  did  also 
in  the  East  Austrian  Review.  Ellenberger  in  1867  added  some- 
thing in  the  Annual  K.  K.  G.  R.,  and  M.  Coquand  inserted  his 
Memoir  in  the  xxiv.  vol.  Bulletin  of  the  French  Geological 
Society. 

We  have  now,  however,  a  completer  resume  of  all  that  is  known 
on  the  subject  from  the  pen  of  M.  Emile  Heurteau,  Engineer  of 
Mines,  in  the  recently  issued  3d  part  of  the  xix.  vol.  of  the  Annals 
of  the  Paris  School  of  Mines,  with  a  map  of  the  Krosno-Dukla 
districts  and  sections  of  the  petroleum-bearing  rocks.  He  says  that 


FOREIGN  OIL  FIELDS.  149 

in  1869  he  visited  most  of  the  points  where  oil  was  actually  sought 
or  obtained,  but  that  the  work  was  conducted  by  the  proprietors 
of  the  land,  no  records  of  borings  were  kept,  and  scarcely  any  traces 
of  what  had  been  done  were  left  to  view. 

The  mountain  range,  in  this  part  of  it,  runs  north-west  and 
south-east,  and  falls  oif  gently  to  the  great  Miocene  Tertiary  plains 
of  Galicia  and  Moldavia,  in  a  series  of  parallel  anticlinal  and  syn- 
clinal undulations,  which  are  visible  in  the  sections  made  by  all 
the  descending  valleys  and  ravines.  The  mountain  mass  consists 
of  cretaceous  rocks  and  outcropping  on  the  south-west  flank, 
covered  by  Eocene  Tertiary  sandstones  and  clay-slate  formations, 
almost  vertical  or  a  little  overturned,  so  as  to  plunge  south-west- 
wardly,  and  rarely  fossiliferous. 

On  these  Carpathian  rocks  lie  the  Miocene  Tertiaries,  the  lowest 
of  which,  outcropping  all  along  the  foot-hills,  are  the  two  thin  beds 
of  saliferous  clay-slates  which  furnish  the  salines  of  the  region. 
The  salt  mines  of  Wielisk  and  Bochnia,  the  gypsum  masses  of 
Podgorze,  and  the  sulphur  deposit  in  the  gypseous  marls  of  Schos- 
zowice,  are  all  in  the  Miocene. 

Everywhere  along  the  range  of  the  salt-bearing  rocks  is  a  black- 
ish clay,  marl  bed,  more  or  less  bituminous,  of  muddy  consistency, 
strongly  impregnated  with  salt,  either  crystallized  in  large  grains 
imbedded  in  the  mass,  or  condensed  into  -large  lenticular  beds  of 
impure  rock  salt ;  or  irregularly  distributed.  The  whole  saliferous 
formation  is  traversed  by  contorted  beds  of  anhydrite  gypsum 
alternating  with  beds  of  salt-clay,  more  or  less  pure.  All  stand 
vertical  or  plunge  steeply  south,  growing  less  deep  the  further 
down  they  are  followed,  puzzling  the  observer  with  the  appearance 
of  passing  underneath  the  older  steeply  south-dipping  rocks  of  the 
mountain  range.  Heavy  coverings  of  loss  help  the  deception.  It 
is  of  course  necessary  to  suppose  a  long  fault,  the  north-east  country 
having  settled  down  and  curled  the  edges  of  its  rock  formation 
completely  over.  This  fault  is  the  key  to  the  subject  of  the  me- 
moir. 


150 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


On  the  Galician  side,  the  oil  belt,  though  extending  for  200 
miles,  is  explored  at  three  principal  centres  :  New  Saudac,  on  the 
west ;  Dukla,  Krosno  and  Sanock,  in  the  middle ;  and  Borslau,  in 
the  east,  where  the  "  mineral  wax,"  ozokerit  occurs  in  great  abun- 
dance. 

From  time  immemorial  the  peasants  of  Bobrka,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Jasolka,  between  Dukla  and  Krosno,  have  noticed  oil  oozing 
from  joints  of  the  sandstone  rocks,  and  standing,  especially  in  dry 
seasons,  on  the  little  pools  of  water ;  they  collect  it  to  grease  their 
wagons,  and  fire  it  off  on  festival  occasions.  In  1860  M.  Lucka- 
silwitch,  hearing  of  the  American  petroleum  wells,  experimented 
with  his  own  in  the  laboratory,  and  then  commenced  work  on  M. 
Klobassa's  lands,  but  with  very  poor  success.  In  1861,  he  trans- 
ferred his  search  to  a  place  farther  east,  and  struck  oil  in  a  bore  50 
feet  deep,  which  yielded  16,000  pounds  daily.  His  second  well 
yielded  600  bbls.  Wells  multiplied,  until  in  1870  the  yield 
amounted  to  $70,000  per  annum,  giving  a  profit  of  $50,000. 
Seventy-seven  wells  are  ranged  along  the  axis  of  a  sharp  anticlinal, 
one-third  of  a  mile  long,  none  being  more  than  80  feet  off  the 
straight  line,  and  the  oil  from  all  flows  through  a  pipe  to  a  common 
reservoir.  Some  of  the  wells  are  350  feet  deep ;  but  no  law  of 
depth  has  been  obtained.  Shafts  7  feet  square  are  sunk  about  70 
or  80  feet  to  the  sandstone,  and  bore-holes  are  continued  from  this 
downward.  Gunpowder  is  used  in  shafting,  and  strong  ventilating 
fans  blow  out  the  gases.  Lights  are  forbidden,  and  accidents  are 
few.  The  boring  is  very  rude,  being  done  by  four  hands  without 
machinery. 

On  reaching  the  oil  stratum  a  great  quantity  of  carbonic  acid  gas 
mixed  with  hydro-carbons  escapes  from  the  well,  followed  by  the 
oil,  which  rises  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  filling  the  shaft.  A 
small  "  Jewish  "  hand-pump  is  used  to  draw  off  the  water  and  oil 
into  barrels,  from  which  the  water  is  allowed  to  escape  by  gravity. 
It  is  evident  that  the  oil  is  kept  down,  by  the  weight  of  water,  and 
must  be  relieved  of  this  load  before  it  will  rise  in  any  quantities. 


FOREIGN   OIL   FIELDS. 


151 


Some  wells  yield  per  day  3,000  kilogrammes,  others  600, 302  down 
to  80,  and  some  mere  traces  of  oil.  The  author  gives  interesting 
details  of  the  lawless  behaviour  of  the  various  wells  of  the  group, 
with  diagrams  showing  their  relative  situations  and  relations  to  the 
anticlinal  axis,  and  confesses  that  no  trace  of  a  method  of  explana- 
tion has  been  obtained.  The  oil  is  always  mixed  with  water,  some- 
times fresh,  ordinarily  saline.  Between  the  two  petroleum  horizons 
the  water  is  always  salt.  The  following  table  shows  the  authenti- 
cated and  official  statistics  of  all  the  oil  which  has  been  transported 
and  conveyed  by  the  Carl  Ludwig  &  Kaiser  Ferdinand  (Nord- 
Bahn)  Railroads  for  eight  successive  years  from  the  oil  regions. 


YEAR. 

Oil  conveyed  and 
transported     by 
two  roads. 

Into  Austrian  pro- 
vinces and  Prus- 
sia. 

Consumed  in  the 
towns  and  cities 
in  Galicia. 

American  oil  con- 
sumed in   Gali- 
cia. 

1862  

cwt. 
32,295 
67,336 
113,099 
133,356 
166,349 
155,589 
147,251 
81,398 

cwt. 
26,725 
53,796 
91,672 
117,043 
146,802 
139,059 
134,535 
72,701 

cwt. 
5,570 
13,560 
21,427 
16,313 
19,547 
16,530 
12,716 
8,697 

cwt. 

787 
238 
114 
1,552 
395 
297 

1863  

1864  

1865  

1866  

1867  

1868            .     ... 

1869  

The  above  table  will  give  some  idea  of  the  resources  of  the  Ga- 
lician  portion  of  the  Carpathian  oil  field,  as  it  exhibits  how  many 
years  the  product  of  this  field  has  been  in  the  market. 

A  recent  traveller  says  of  the  Wallachian  portion  of  the  Carpa- 
thian oil  belt  that  "  there  is  no  country  in  the  old  world  which  has 
been  so  plainly  proved  to  be  a  land  flowing  with  petroleum."  Asso- 
ciated capital  has  been  brought  to  bear  on  its  extraction  and  ex- 
port, but  strange  enough,  the  mechanical  appliances  by  which  suc- 
cess has  been  achieved  in  western  Pennsylvania  have  been  but  to  a 
very  limited  extent  introduced  into  Wallachia.  The  Romanian 
petroleum  companies,  situated  on  the  same  end  of  the  Carpathian 


152  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

belt  have  been  contented  to  adopt  the  primitive  mode  of  collection 
in  use  with  the  peasantry,  by  making  excavations  into  the  earth, 
into  which  the  oil  saturating  the  strata  flows.  This  plan  of  opera- 
tions is  not  conducive  to  profitable  commercial  working  on  a  large 
scale,  but  should  attention  be  given  to  deep  boring  on  the  plan 
adopted  in  the  oil  region  of  Pennsylvania,  there  is  every  prospect 
of  success. 

In  the  course  of  this  chapter  mention  has  been  made  of  "  Ozo- 
kerit," a  mineral  wax  or  solidified  petroleum.  We  consider  the 
matter  of  so  much  interest  that  we  give  a  brief  account  of  this  sin- 
gular product  of  the  field  now  under  notice  : 

"  Ozokerit "  is  a  "  mineral  wax,"  and  in  the  raw  or  native  state 
is  of  a  yellowish  color,  of  light  specific  gravity  and  somewhat 
fibrous  in  its  structure.  It  will  not  burn  of  itself,  but  will  readily 
melt  on  a  light  being  applied  to  it.  .  On  being  roughly  wrapped 
around  a  central  wick,  even  in  its  native  state,  it  is  easily  and 
readily  consumed.  In  fact,  a  rude  candle  can  be  made  of  the  raw 
material  and  a  cotton  wick.  It  is  found  principally  in  Austria, 
Moldavia,  the  Caucasus,  and  near  the  Caspian  Sea,  where  it  is  ob- 
tained in  great  quantities,  being  largely  used  in  those  countries  for 
illuminating  purposes.  It  was  discovered  about  two  years  since  by 
a  Russian  military  officer,  who  communicated  the  fact  to  a  Mr.  Gus- 
tav  Siemssen,  who  has  introduced  it  into  England.  In  the  prem- 
ises where  the  candles  are  made,  the  native  ozokerit  is  found  in  two 
conditions — in  the  one  as  dug  from  the  earth,  and  in  the  other  as 
roughly  melted  down  for  convenience  of  storage  in  transit.  In 
the  latter  condition  it  forms  a  dark-colored  mass,  and  is  packed  in 
barrels,  the  native  or  unmelted  ozokerit  being  sent  over  in  canvas 
bags.  From  the  store,  the  crude  material  is  conveyed  into  the 
melting-tanks,  holding  from  two  to  three  tons  each,  where  it 
is  melted  down  by  means  of  a  steam  coil.  From  these  tanks, 
which  are  situated  in  a  gallery  some  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground 
level,  the  ozokerit  is  run  off  by  gravitation  to  a  series  of  stills 
placed  outside  the  main  building,  and  holding  from  two  to  three 


FOREIGN  OIL   FIELDS.  153 

tons  each,  into  which  it  is  distilled  over,  partly  by  steam,  and 
partly  by  bottom  heat.  The  dirt  and  bottoms  from  the  crude  ozo- 
kerit  are  run  off  from  the  melting-tanks  into  another  set  of  tanks 
beneath  them,  where  they  are  remelted,  the  finer  products  being 
afterward  distilled  over,  The  ozokerit  comes  from  the  stills  in  the 
form  of  an  oily  distillate,  which  is  run  from  the  condensers  into 
molds  and  allowed  to  cool.  « This  gives  a  deep  yellowish  wax-like 
substance  of  a  spongy  nature,  the  pores  being  filled  with  oil,  which 
exudes  under  a  slight  pressure.  These  cakes  are  packed  between 
oil-skins  and  canvas  cloths,  and  are  placed  in  hydraulic  presses,  of 
which  there  are  three  of  large  capacity.  The  pressed  cake  after 
removal  is  put  into  reheating  tanks  and  again  melted  down,  and  is 
pumped  from  these  tanks  by  a  steam  pump  into  the  acidifier,  where 
it  is  treated  with  sulphuric  acid.  These  acidifiers  are  steam  jack- 
eted, and  are  fitted  with  revolving  agitators,  by  which  the  ozokerit 
and  acid  are  agitated  for  a  certain  time,  after  which  the  mixture  is 
allowed  to  settle.  After  settling,  the  purified  ozokerit  is  drawn  off 
from  the  lower  part  of  the  acidifiers — the  acid  remaining  on  the 
top — and  run  into  vessels  which  are  heated  by  bottom  heat.  This 
is  the  final  heating,  and  from  these  vessels  the  fine  stuff  is  drawn 
off  into  molds,  the  result  being  a  hard  white  wax,  the  melting  point 
of  which  is  140°,  that  of  paraffine  wax  being  only  128°.  These 
blocks  are  sent  to  Messrs.  Field's  works  at  Lambeth,  London, 
England,  and  from  them  the  well-known  ozokerit  candles  are 
made.  There  are  several  by-products,  the  chief  of  which  is  a  very 
clear,  colorless  oil,  and  of  very  high  illuminating  power. 


154  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


BURMAH. 

The  petroleum  business  in  Burmah  has  long  been  in  operation, 
the  oil  being  used  by  the  natives  for  heating  purposes,  for  preserv- 
ing wood,  and  also  as  a  medicine.  Thousands  of  wells  have  been 
excavated,  and  after  working  them  so  long  as  profitable,  they  were 
left  and  new  ones  dug  out.  Dry  holes  are  as  frequent  as  in  Western 
Pennsylvania,  broken-down  operators  as  numerous,  and  lucky  ones, 
who  have  succeeded  in  making  their  first  million,  just  as  few. 
The  possession  of  the  royalties  of  Burmese  oil  lands  are  still  so 
valuable  as  to  be  deemed  the  most  desirable  gifts  the  sovereign  of 
that  country  can  bestow  upon  chosen  favorites.  Not  only  this,  but 
English  capital  is  largely  invested  there,  and  large  quantities  of  the 
oil  find  a  ready  market  in  Europe. 

The  following  interesting  account  of  the  wells  of  that  distant 
country  is  taken  from  the  journal  of  John  Crawford,  Esq.,  F.  R.  S., 
F.  L.  G.,  and  ambassador  of  the  Governor-General  of  India,  to  the 
Court  of  Ava,  1826.  Though  this  report  is  of  old  date,  it  applies 
with  equal  truth  to  the  present  state  of  the  business. 

"At  three  in  the  afternoon,  our  whole  party  proceeded  to  the 
celebrated  petroleum  wells.  Those  which  we  visited  cannot  be 
further  than  three  miles  from  the  village,  for  we  walked  to  them  in 
forty  minutes.  The  wells  altogether  occupy  a  space  of  about  six- 
teen square  miles.  The  country  here  is  a  series  of  sand  hills  and 
ravines,  the  latter  torrents  after  a  fall  of  rain,  as  we  now  experienced, 
and  the  former  covered  with  a  very  thin  soil,  or  altogether  bare. 
The  trees,  which  were  more  numerous  than  we  looked  for,  did  not 
rise  above  twenty  feet  in  height.  The  surface  gave  no  indication, 
that  we  could  detect,  of  the  existence  of  petroleum.  On  the  spot 
which  we  reached,  were  eight  or  ten  wells,  and  we  examined  one 
of  the  best.  The  shaft  was  of  a  square  form,  and  its  dimensions 
about  four  feet  to  a  side.  It  was  formed  by  sinking  a  frame  of 
wood  composed  of  the  mimosa  catechu,  which  affords  a  double 
timber.  Our  conductor,  a  son  of  the  Myosugi  of  the  village,  in- 


FOREIGN  OIL   FIELDS.  155 

formed  us  that  the  wells  were  commonly  from  one  hundred  and 
forty  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  cubits  deep,  and  their  greatest  depth 
in  any  case,  two  hundred.  He  informed  us  that  the  one  we  were 
examining  was  the  private  property  of  his  father — that  it  was  con- 
sidered very  productive,  and  that  its  exact  depth  was  140  cubits. 
We  measured  it  with  a  good  lead  line,  and  ascertained  i£s  depth  to 
be  210  feet;  thus  corresponding  exactly  with  the  reports  of  our 
conductor,  a  matter  which  we  did  not  look  for,  considering  the 
extraordinary  carelessness  of  the  Burmans  in  all  matters  of  this  de- 
scription. A  pot  of  oil  being  taken  up,  and  a  good  thermometer 
being  plunged  into  it,  indicated  a  temperature  of  99  degrees.  That 
of  the  air  when  we  left  the  ship,  an  hour  before,  was  82  degrees. 
We  looked  into  one  or  two  of  the  wells,  and  could  discern  the  bot- 
tom. The  liquid  seemed  as  if  boiling,  but  whether  from  the  emis- 
sion of  gaseous  fluids  or  simply  from  the  escape  of  oil  itself  from 
the  ground,  we  had  no  means  of  determining.  The  formation  when 
the  wells  were  sunk,  consisted  of  good,  loose  sandstone  and  blue 
clay.  When  the  well  is  dug  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  laborers 
informed  us  that  brown  coal  was  occasionally  found.  Unfortu- 
nately we  could  obtain  no  specimens  of  this  mineral  on  the  spot,  but 
I  afterward  obtained  some  in  the  village.  The  petroleum  itself, 
when  taken  out  of  the  well,  is  of  a  thin  watery  consistence,  but  this, 
by  keeping,  and  in  the  cold  weather  it  coagulates.  Its  color  at  all 
times,  is  a  dirty  green,  and  not  much  unlike  that  of  stagnant  water. 
It  has  a  pungent,  aromatic  odor,  offensive  to  most  people.  The 
wells  are  worked  by  the  simplest  contrivance  imaginable.  There 
is  over  each  well,  a  cross  beam,  supported  by  two  rude  stancheons. 
At  the  center  of  the  cross  beam,  and  embracing  it,  is  a  hollow 
revolving  cylinder,  with  a  channel  to  receive  a  drag  rope,  to  which 
is  suspended  a  common  earthen  pot,  that  is  let  down  into  the  well, 
and  brought  up  full  by  the  assistance  of  two  persons  pulling  the 
rope  down  an  inclined  plane  by  the  side  of  the  well.  The  contents 
of  the  pot  are  deposited  for  the  time  in  a  cistern.  Two  persons  are 
employed  in  receiving  the  oil,  making  the  whole  number  of  persons 


156  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

engaged  on  each  well  only  four.  The  oil  is  carried  to  the  village 
on  posts  in  carts,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  bullocks,  each  cart  conveying 
from  10  to  14  pots  of  ten  viss  each,  or  from  265  to  371  pounds 
avoirdupois  of  the  commodity.  The  proprietors  store  the  oil  in  their 
houses,  and  then  vend  it  to  the  exporters.  The  price  varies,  ac- 
cording to  the  demand,  from  four  ticals  of  flowered  silver  to  six  ticals 
per  1,000  viss;  which  is  from  five  pence  to  seven  pence  halfpenny 
per  100.  The  carriage  of  so  bulky  a  commodity,  and  the  breakage 
to  Which  pots  are  so  liable,  enhances  the  price  in  the  most  distant 
parts  to  which  the  article  is  transported,  to  50  ticals  per  1,000  viss* 
Sesamun  oil  will  cost  at  the  same  place  not  less  than  300  ticals  for 
an  equal  weight,  but  it  lasts  longer,  gives  a  better  light,  and  is  more 
agreeable  than  the  petroleum,  which  in  burning,  emits  an  immense 
quantity  of  black  smoke,  which  soils  every  object  near  it.  The 
cheapness,  however,  of  this  article  is  so  great,  that  it  must  be  con- 
sidered as  conducing  much  to  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the 
Burmans.  Petroleum  is  used  by  the  Burmans  for  the  purpose  of 
burning  in  lamps  and  smearing  timber  to  protect  it  against  insects, 
especially  the  white  ant,  which  will  not  approach  it.  It  is  said 
that  about  two-thirds  of  it  is  used  for  burning,  and  that  its  con- 
sumption is  universal  until  its  price  reaches  that  of  Sesamun  oil, 
the  only  other  oil  which  is  used  in  the  country  for  burning.  Its 
consumption,  therefore,  is  universal,  wherever  there  is  water  car- 
riage to  convey  it — that  is,  in  all  the  country  watered  by  the 
Krowaddy,  its  tributary  streams  and  its  branches.  It  includes 
Bassien,  but  excludes  Martaban,  Tavoy  and  Mergui,  Aracan,  Tongo 
and  all  the  northern  and  southern  tributary  States.  The  quantity 
exported  to  foreign  ports  is  a  mere  trifle,  not  worth  noticing.  It  is 
considered  that  a  consumption  of  thirty  viss  per  annum  for  each 
family  of  five  and  a  half  persons  is  a  moderate  average.  If  it  were 
practical,  therefore,  to  ascertain  the  real  quantity  produced  at  the 
wells,  we  should  be  possessed  of  the  means  of  making  a  tolerable 
estimate  of  the  inhabitants  who  make  use  of  this  commodity,  con- 
sisting of  the  largest  part  of  the  population  of  the  Kingdom.  Of 


FOREIGN  OIL   FIELDS.  157 

the  actual  produce  of  the  wells  we  received  accounts  not  easily  re- 
concilable to  each  other.  The  daily  produce  of  the  wells  was  stated 
according  to  quality  to  vary  from  35  to  500,  the  average  giving 
about  235  viss.  The  number  of  wells  was  sometimes  as  low  as  50, 
and  sometimes  as  high  as  400.  The  average  made  about  200,  and 
considering  that  they  are  spread  over  16  square  miles,  as  well  as 
that  the  oil  is  well-known  to  be  a  very  general  article  of  consump- 
tion throughout  the  country,  I  do  not  think  the  number  exagge- 
rated. This  estimate  will  make  the  consumers  of  petroleum  for 
burning  amount  to  2,066,721.  In  the  narrative  of  one  of  my  pre- 
decessors, Captain  Cox,  the  number  of  wells  is  given  as  high  as 
520,  and  the  average  daily  produce  of  each  well  is  reckoned  at  300 
viss,  w^hich  makes  the  whole  amount  produced  56,940,000." 

We  here  give  extracts  in  reference  to  Petroleum  from  the  Narra- 
tive of  Major  Michael  Symes,  of  the  English  Army,  who  was  sent 
by  the  Governor-General  of  India  as  Embassador  to  the  Court  of 
Ava,  in  1765  (published  by  Bulmer  and  Co.,  in  London,  in  1800), 
who  says  at  page  261 :  After  passing  various  sands  and  villages, 
we  got  to  Yaynangheoum  or  Earth  Oil  (Petroleum)  Creek,  about 
two  hours  past  noon.  "We  were  informed,  that  the  celebrated  wells 
of  Petroleum,  which  supply  the  whole  empire  and  many  parts  of 
India  with  that  useful  product,  were  five  miles  to  the  east  of  this 
place.  The  mouth  of  the  creek  was  crowded  with  large  boats, 
waiting  to  receive  a  lading  of  oil,  and  immense  pyramids  of  earthen 
jars  were  raised  within  and  around  the  village ;  disposed  in  the 
same  manner  as  shot  and  shells  are  piled  in  an  arsenal.  This  is 
inhabited  only  by  potters,  who  carry  on  an  extensive  manufactory, 
and  find  full  employment.  The  smell  of  the  oil  is  extremely  offen- 
sive. We  saw  several  thousand  jars  filled  with  it,  ranged  along 
the  bank ;  some  of  these  were  continually  breaking,  and  the  con- 
tents, mingling  with  the  sand,  formed  a  very  filthy  consistence. 
Mr.  Wood  had  the  curiosity  to  walk  to  the  wells ;  but,  though  I 
had  felt  the  same  desire,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  postpone  visiting 
them  until  my  return,  when  I  was  likely  to  have  more  leisure,  and 
to  be  less  the  object  of^)bservation. 


158  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

PAGE  441. — We  rode  until  two  o'clock,  at  which  hour  we 
reached  Yaynangheoum,  or  Petroleum  Creek,  of  Benangyun.  The 
oil  drawers  stated  to  us,  that  in  cleaning  out  old  wells,  accidents 
sometimes  happened  from  the  fire-damps ;  and  they  pointed  out  a 
particular  well  at  which  two  men  had  lost  their  lives  from  this  cause. 

PAGE  178. — The  celebrated  Petroleum  wells  aflbrd,  as  I  ascer- 
tained at  Ava,  a  revenue  to  the  king,  or  his  officers.  The  wells 
are  private  property,  and  belong  hereditarily  to  about  thirty- two 
individuals.  A  duty  of  five  parts  in  one  hundred  is  levied  on  the 
Petroleum  as  it  comes  from  the  wells,  and  the  amount  realized  on 
it  is  said  to  be  25,000  ticals  per  annum.  No  less  than  20,000  of 
this  goes  to  contractors,  collectors,  or  public  officers,  and  the  share 
of  the  State,  or  5,000,  was  assigned  during  our  visit  as  a  pension 
of  one  of  the  Queens. 

PAGE  206. — The  Petroleum  wells  of  Renangyorong  have  been 
already  described  in  the  Journal.  From  the  more  accurate  infor- 
mation, which  I  obtained  at  Ava,  it  appears  that  the  produce  of 
these  may  be  estimated  at  the  highest,  in  round  numbers,  at  22,- 
000,000  of  viss,  each  of  three  and  sixty-five  one-hundredth  pounds 
avoirdupois.  This  estimate  is  formed  from  the  report  of  the  Myo. 
Thugyi,  who  rents  the.  tax  on  the  wells,  which  is  five  in  a  hundred. 
His  annual  collection  is  25,000  ticals,  and  he  estimated,  or  conjec- 
tured, that  he  lost  by  smuggling  8,000,  making  the  total  33,000. 
The  value  of  the  whole  produce,  therefore,  is  660,000  ticals.  The 
value  of  the  oil  on  the  spot  is  reckoned  at  three  ticals  per  100  viss, 
and  consequently  its  amount  will  be  as  above  stated. 

PAGE  238. — I  should  observe,  that  Petroleum  is  universally 
used,  wherever  the  navigation  of  the  Irrawaddy  and^  Ryendwen, 
with  their  tributary  streams,  will  allow  of  its  being  conveyed,  and 
that  it  is  also  carried  to  a  place  already  noticed  in  our  journey  up 
the  river.  Dr.  Buchanan  partook  of  an  early  dinner  with  me,  and 
when  the  sun  had  descended  so  low  as  to  be  no  longer  inconve- 
nient, we  mounted  our  horses  to  visit  the  celebrated  wells  that 
produce  the  oil,  an  article  of  universal  use  throughout  the  Empire. 


FOREIGN   OIL   FIELDS.  159 

PAGE  442. — The  evening  being  far  advanced,  we  met  but  few 
carts;  those  we  did  observe  were  drawn  by  a  pair  of  oxen, 
and  of  a  length  disproportionate  to  the  breadth,  to  allow  space 
for  earthen  pots  that  contained  the  oil.  It  was  a  matter  of  sur- 
prise to  us,  how  they  could  convey  such  brittle  ware  with  any 
degree  of  safety  over  so  rugged  a  road.  Each  pot  was  packed  in  a 
separate  basket  and  laid  in  straw,  notwithstanding  which  precau- 
tion, the  ground,  all  the  way,  was  strewn  with  broken  fragments 
of  the  vessels,  and  wet  with  oil,  for  no  care  can  prevent  the  fracture 
of  some  in  every  journey.  As  we  approached  the  pits,  which  were 
more  distent  than  we  had  imagined,  the  country  became  less  un- 
even, and  the  soil  produced  herbage.  It  was  nearly  dark  when 
we  reached  them,  and  the  laborers  had  retired  from  work.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  great  many  pits  within  a  small  compass.  Walking 
to  the  nearest,  we  found  the  aperture  about  four  feet  square,  and 
the  sides  lined,  as  far  as  we  could  see  down,  with  timber ;  the  oil  is 
drawn  up  in  an  iron  pot,  fastened  to  a  rope  passed  over  a  wooden 
cylinder,  which  revolves  on  an  axis,  supported  by  two  upright 
posts.  When  the  pot  is  filled,  two  men  take  hold  of  the  rope  by 
the  end,  and  run  down  a  declivity,  which  is  cut  in  the  ground,  to  a 
distance,  equivalent  to  the  depth  of  the  well.  Thus,  when  they 
reach  the  end  of  the  track,  the  pot  is  raised  to  its  proper  elevation  ; 
the  contents,  water  and  oil,  together,  are  then  discharged  into  a 
cistern,  and  the  water  is  afterwards  drawn  through  a  hole  in  the 
bottom.  Our  guide,  an  active,  intelligent  fellow,  went  to  a  neigh- 
boring house,  and  procured  a  well-rope,  by  means  of  which  we 
were  enabled  to  measure  the  depth,  and  ascertained  it  to  be  thirty- 
seven  fathoms ;  but  of  the  quantity  of  the  oil  at  the  bottom  we 
could  not  judge.  The  owner  of  the  rope,  who  followed  our  guide, 
affirmed  that  when  a  pit  yielded  as  much  as  came  up  to  the  waist 
of  a  man,  it  was  deemed  tolerably  productive ;  if  it  reached  his  neck, 
it  was  abundant ;  but  that  which  rose  no  higher  than  the  knee,  was 
accounted  indifferent.  When  a  well  is  exhausted,  they  restore  the 


160 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


spring  by  cutting  deeper  in  the  rock,  which  is  extremely  hard  in 
those  places  where  the  oil  is  produced.  The  government  farms  out 
the  ground  which  supplies  this  useful  commodity,  and  it  is  again 
let  to  adventurers,  who  dig  wells  at  their  own  hazard,  by  which 
they  sometimes  gain  and  often  lose,  as  the  labor  and  expense  of 
digging  are  considerable.  The  oil  is  sold  on  the  spot  for  a  mere 
trifle— I  think  200  or  300  pots  for  a  tackal,  or  half  a  crown.  The 
principal  charge  is  incurred  by  the  transportation  and  purchase  of 
vessels.  We  had  but  half  gratified  our  curiosity,  when  it  grew 
dark,  and  our  guide  urged  us  not  to  remain  any  longer,  as  the  road 
was  said  to  be  infested  with  tigers,  that  prowled  about  at  night 
among  the  rocky,  uninhabited  ways  through  which  we  had  to  pass. 
We  followed  his  advice,  and  returned  with  greater  risk,  as  I 
thought,  of  breaking  our  necks  from  the  badness  of  the  road,  than 
of  being  devoured  by  wild  beasts.  At  ten  o'clock  we  reached  our 
boats  without  any  misadventure." 


PUNJAB,  INDIA. 

The  Public  Works  Department  of  the  Government  of  India  a 
few  years  since  engaged  a  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania,  Benjamin 
Smith  Lyman,  Esq.,  to  report  on  the  commercial  value  of  the  oil 
lands  of  the  Punjab.  Mr.  Lyrnan  reports  as  follows : 

The  Punjab  oil  region  is  in  the  corner  between  Cashmere  and 
Cabul,  and  lies  wholly  between  north  latitude  32°  31 ',  and  ,33° 
47',  and  east  longitude  (from  Greenwich)  71°  18',  and  73°  5' ;  a 
nearly  square  space  about  a  hundred  miles  long  east  and  west,  by 
ninety  miles  wide,  north  and  south. 

Just  inside  the  north-east  corner  of  this  square  is  Eawul  Pindee, 
the  largest  town  of  the  region,  with  about  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants; just  inside  the  south-east  corner  is  Pind  Dadun  Khan,  a 
town  of  about  twelve  thousand  inhabitants ;  and  just  inside  the 


FOREIGN  OIL  FIELDS.  161 

south-west  corner  is  the  ancient  uninhabited  ruin  of  a  walled  town, 
now  called  Kafir  Kot.  Just  within  the  north-west  edge  of  the  re- 
gion, and  less  than  twenty  miles  from  its  eastern  edge,  stands  the 
little  village  of  Shah  kee  Dheree,  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  capital 
Taxila,  where  the  King  Taxiles  hospitably  entertained  Alexander 
the  Great.  The  small  town  of  Attok,  where  Alexander  crossed  the 
Indus  into  India,  is  only  ten  miles  north  of  the  middle  of  the  north- 
ern edge  of  the  square.  The  famous  Muneekyala  Tope,  built  by 
King  Kanishka,  about  the  Christian  Era,  to  mark  the  spot  where 
Booddha  in  compassion  gave  his  own  flesh  to  satisfy  the  hunger  of 
a  starving  tiger,  stands  a  little  outside  the  square,  fifteen  miles 
south-east  of  Eawul  Pindee. 

The  river  Indus  enters  the  square  about  the  middle  of  the  north- 
ern edge,  and  leaves  it  at  the  south-west  corner.  The  Jhelum 
river  (the  "  fabulosus  Hydaspes  "  of  the  ancients),  one  of  the  five 
rivers  that  gives  its  name  to  the  Punjab,  flows  across  the  south-east 
corner,  past  Pind  Dadun  Khan,  south-westerly  toward  the  Indus. 
The  center  of  the  region  is  drained  by  the  Sohan,  which  rises  near 
Rawul  Pindee,  and  flows  west,  south-west  to  the  Indus. 

The  region  lies,  then,  mostly  between  the  Indus  and  Jhelum,  in 
what  is  called  the  Sind  Sagur  Doab  (two  rivers),  and  it  is  mainly 
in  the  mountainous  or  hilly  part  (Kohistan)  of  the  Doab.  The  oil 
has  been  bored  for  at  Gunda,  and  at  first  fifty  gallons  of  it  a  day 
were  pumped  from  the  well ;  but  the  yield,  of  course,  grew  quickly 
less  (like  the  ordinates  of  a  parabola),  and  after  the  whole  amount 
had  reached  two  thousand  gallons  (about  five  months)  the  daily 
yield  was  less  than  ten  gallons.  In  the  region,  oil  flows  also  at 
five  other  places  from  natural  springs,  from  a  gill  to  three  quarts  a 
day,  and  there  are  traces  of  it  at  yet  two  other  places,  making 
eight  in  all.  Asphalt,  or  dried  oil,  is  found  in  small  quantities  at 
four  of  these  places,  and  at  four  other  places — at  two  in  notable 
quantities.  At  most  of  the  asphalt  places  there  are  traces  of  rock 
tar  or  asphalt  melted  in  the  heat  of  the  sun ;  and  at  one  of  them 
(Aluggud)  as  much  as  one  hundred  gallons.  Besides  these  dozen 
11 


162  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

places  where  oil  or  asphalt  is  found  there  are  half  a  dozen  places 
where  there  are  small  traces  of  one  or  the  other,  enough  to  attract 
notice  in  the  minute  examination  of  the  country  by  its  inhabitants. 
About  half  of  all  the  places  are  in  the  north-eastern  corner  of  the 
region ;  about  half  toward  the  south-western  corner,  and  one  or  two 
in  the  north-western  corner  toward  the  middle. 

The  Aluggud  oil  (now  dried  to  asphalt)  seems  to  have  come  from 
rocks  of  carboniferous  age,  to  judge  by  their  fossils,  though  other 
things  would  rather  show  that  they  were  of  later  age.  If  they 
are  carboniferous,  then  the  nummulitic  rocks  are  wanting  above 
them,  and  have  thinned  completely  away  from  a  thickness  of  2,000 
feet  only  thirty  miles  distant.  This  oil  is  also  the  only  case  of  oil 
outside  of  the  older  tertiary  rocks  anywhere  in  the  whole  region. 

All  the  other  oil  springs  or  shows  of  oil  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  region  are  on  the  northern  side  of  the  Salt  Range  and  in  the 
nummulitic  lime  rock,  or  close  above  it.  The  northern  ones  are 
either  in  the  nummulitic  lime  rock  of  the  Choor  Hills,  the  same 
probably  as  that  of  the  Salt  Range ;  or  in  the  Gunda  rocks  (chiefly 
sand  rocks)  that  lie  south  of  them,  also  accompanied  by  nummulites. 

In  every  case  the  oil  seems  to  come  from  a  deposit  of  very  small 
horizontal  extent,  sometimes  only  a  few  feet,  seldom  as  much  as  a 
few  hundred  yards  ;  only  in  one  case,  that  of  the  Chhota  Kutta 
and  Burra  Kutta  oil  springs,  near  Jaba,  does  the  deposit  seem  to 
extend  as  much  as  half  a  mile.  Here,  too,  the  oil  comes  from  a 
thickness  of  about  a  hundred  feet,  and  the  natural  springs  yield  at- 
one place  as  much  as  three  quarts  a  day.  At  all  the  other  places 
the  oil  comes  from  a  much  smaller  thickness  of  rock,  from  forty 
feet  at  Aluggud  and  twenty  at  Gunda  and  Punnoba  downward. 
Scarcely  do  any  two  oil  springs  come  from  the  same  bed  of  rock. 

The  oil  is  dark  green  in  color,  and  so  heavy  as  to  mark  25°  of 
Beaume's  scale,  or  even  less.  The  Gunda  oil  has  been  burned  a 
little  by  the  natives  with  a  simple  wick,  resting  on  the  side  of  an 
open  dish ;  but  the  Punnoba  oil  is  more  inflammable,  and  needs  a 
special  tube  for  the  wick,  though  the  main  opening  of  the  dish  or 


FOKEIGN   OIL  FIELDS.  163 

lamp  may  stay  uncovered.  The  oil,  generally,  however,  has  been 
little  used  for  burning,  except  at  Punnoba ;  but  has  been  sought  for 
as  a  cure  for  the  sore  backs  of  camels.  The  asphalt  was  highly 
prized  forty  years  ago  by  the  natives  as  medicine,  especially  for 
broken  bones.  It  was  carried  far  and  wide,  and  was  called  "  negro's 
fat/'  because  it  was  believed  to  have  dripped  from  the  brain  of  a 
negro  who  had  been  hung  up  by  the  heels  before  a  slow  fire. 

It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  there  is  nothing  whatever  in 
the  mode  of  occurrence  of  the  Punjab  oil,  to  uphold  the  chimerical 
belief  that  rock-oil  ever  passes  by  distillation,  emanation,  or  other- 
wise, from  one  set  of  rocks  to  another ;  that  it  originates  in  any  dif- 
ferent rocks  from  those  in  which  it  is  found ;  and  nothing  to  show 
that  it  has  been  formed  by  any  other  method  than  the  very  natural 
and  sufficient  one  of  the  slow  decomposition  of  organic  matter,  de- 
posited along  with  the  other  materials  of  the  rock.  Neither  is 
there  anything  to  show  that  the  oil  has  been  driven  up  by  the  up- 
ward pressure  of  water  from  the  lower  parts  of  a  bed  of  rock 
through  its  pores  to  a  higher  part  of  the  same  bed ;  on  the  contrary, 
as  the  rocks  near  most  of  the  oil  springs  dip  pretty  steeply,  if  such 
an  action  of  water  were  possible,  all  the  oil  would  long  ago  have 
been  altogether  forced  out  of  the  rock  at  the  outcrop.  Indeed,  such 
an  idea  is  quite  inconsistent  with  the  fact  that  even  a  slight  amount 
of  oiliness  in  the  pores  of  a  body  is  a  complete  bar  to  the  entrance 
of  water ;  much  less  could  water  (without  soap)  scour  the  oil  from 
one  mass  of  rock  and  make  it  flow  into  another  mass  filled  with 
moisture.  If  oil  wells  are  more  numerous  in  some  regions  along 
the  tops  of  rock  saddles,  the  reason  is  clear,  that  the  oil-bearing 
bed  lies  too  deep  for  boring  conveniently  elsewhere. 

Wild  hopes  have  sometimes  been  entertained  that  a  large  amount 
of  oil  might,  by  boring  near  the  oil  springs,  be  struck  in  some  ca- 
vity below  the  oil-bearing  bed ;  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  they  are 
not  justified  by  anything  whatever,  either  in  the  Punjab  or  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world  either  in  the  practical  experience  of  oil 
boring  or  in  the  general  laws  of  physics. 


164  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

CHINA. 

Late  accounts  from.  China  report  immense  oil  fields,  some  of 
which  are  worked  to  a  limited  extent.  The  Chinese  may  justly 
claim  to  be  the  first  to  drill  for  oil,  as  for  hundreds  of  years  they 
have  regularly  bored  their  wells,  and  that  to  a  very  great  depth. 
The  celebrated  traveller,  Abbe  Hue,  discovered  the  existence  of 
petroleum  in  many  parts  of  the  Empire.  In  describing  the  wells, 
he  states,  that  many  are  drilled  to  a  depth  of  1,500  to  2,000  feet, 
the  drilling  being  done  very  laboriously  by  a  tube  six  inches  in 
diameter. 

A  Catholic  missionary  who  was  engaged  in  the  province  of  Slo- 
Tchouch  in  1833 — a  territory  which  is  celebrated  for  its  fine  wells, 
gives  some  very  interesting  particulars  about  the  petroleum  busi- 
ness in  the  Celestial  Empire.  After  describing  a  burning  well, 
and  the  method  of  quenching  it,  by  turning  the  waters  of  a  small 
lake  upon  the  flames,  the  missionary  states,  that  when  the  mouths 
of  these  wells  are  closed,  the  gas  is  conveyed  to  any  place  where  it  is 
needed  through  hollowed  bamboos,  and  used  for  lighting  the  towns 
and  villages.  He  also  describes  how  in  a  province  about  200 
leagues  from  Canton  the  gas  is  used  in  the  great  salt  mines  for  fuel. 
The  gas  is  conducted  under  the  boilers  by  bamboos  from  the  well. 
These  are  tipped  with  earthenware,  which  keeps  the  bamboo  from 
burning  when  the  gas  is  ignited.  So  great  is  the  quantity  of  gas 
produced  that  all  the  flame  cannot  be  utilized,  but  much  of  it  is 
allowed  to  escape  to  the  surface  of  the  earth  by  means  of  chimneys. 

JAPAN. 

A  very  extensive  and  valuable  oil  field  exists  in  this  country. 
Oil  is  found  at  shallow  depths  by  sinking  pits.  An  English  Com- 
pany recently  purchased  the  necessary  tools  and  machinery  to  com- 
mence developments.  This  Company  took  out  with  them  a  driller 
and  refiner  from  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Kegion.  From  accounts 
received  of  this  field,  we  conclude  it  is  of  a  very  promising  cha- 
racter. 


FOREIGN  OIL   FIELDS.  165 

ALSACE. 

The  value  of  Alsace  to  Germany,  and  the  Consequent  extent  of 
the  loss  to  France,  commercially  considered,  are  alike  enhanced  by 
the  probable  development  of  a  considerable  petroleum  industry  in 
that  celebrated  province. 

Oil  works  on  a  small  scale,  already  exist  in  the  valley  of  the 
Rhine,  near  the  village  of  Schwatwiller,  within  and  near  the 
borders  of  the  forest  of  Hagenau.  A  thick  alluvial  deposit  has 
first  to  be  penetrated,  beneath  which  are  alternating  strata  of  in- 
durated clay,  and  micaceous  sandstone,  with  seams  of  compacted 
sand.  These  last  named  seams,  contain  the  petroleum,  and  are 
found  at  a  depth  of  two  hundred  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 
Indications  of  the  presence  of  petroleum  are  observable  in  various 
parts  of  the  forest,  and  bitumen  is  found  and  worked  in  the  adjacent 
country.  Borings  to  test  the  presence  of  the  petroliferous  sand, 
have  been  multiplied  to  some  extent,  and  in  all  cases  with  satis- 
factory results.  The  mode  of  working  very  much  resembles  that 
of  a  colliery.  We  believe  that  at  present  there  are  only  two  oil 
pits  existing,  and  one  of  these  is  of  a  very  recent  date.  The  pits 
are  sunk  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  the  seams  of  sand  are  worked 
by  galleries,  in  a  manner  similar  to  that  of  getting  coal.  As  the 
workmen  cut  their  way  through  the  compacted  sand,  the  oil  oozes 
out  of  it,  running  down  the  wall,  of  the  gallery  on  to  the  floor, 
where  it  accumulates  in  shallow  wells  dug  for  the  purpose.  From 
these  wells  the  crude  petroleum  is  conveyed  to  the  surface.  But 
the  process  of  draining  does  not  remove  all  the  oil,  and  the  sand 
itself  is  accordingly  taken  to  the  surface,  to  be  distilled  in  retorts. 
The  crude  oil  which  oozes  from  the  sides  of  the  gallery,  and  that, 
which  is  distilled  from  the  sand,  are  subsequently  rectified  by  a 
further  distillatory  process,  and  the  product  is  understood  to  be  in 
no  degree  inferior  to  Pennsylvania  refined  petroleum.  In  working 
the  existing  pits,  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  no  water  is  found.  Of 
the  extent  to  which  the  petroliferous  sand  prevails,  it  would  be 


166  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

premature  at  present  to  judge,  but  there  seems  no  reason  to  doubt 
its  presence  over  a  considerable  range  of  territory. 


HANOYEK. 

Experiments  have  been  made  in  regard  to  the  well-ascertained 
deposits  in  different  localities  in  Hanover,  and  borings  have  been 
prosecuted  in  the  neighborhood  of  Helde,  with  the  object  of  de- 
termining the  extent  and  thickness  of  a  remarkable  layer  of  chalk, 
occurring  at  the  depth  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and 
saturated  with  petroleum.  Several  years  ago  this  chalk  deposit 
was  examined  to  a  depth  of  four  hundred  feet,  and  the  first  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  were  extremely  rich  in  petroleum,  and 
various  amounts  were  yielded  as  the  drillings  descended.  It  would 
appear  that  in  consequence  of  the  inefficiency  of  the  apparatus, 
the  engineer  was  unable  to  penetrate  any  deeper  than  four  hundred 
feet,  at  the  point  pure  petroleum  was  found.  At  present  the 
borings  are  to  be  conducted  more  vigorously,  and  are  to  be  carried 
down  to  a  depth  of  one  thousand  feet,  with  a  bore  of  the  diameter 
of  seventeen  inches. 


ITALY. 

From  time  immemorial  the  inhabitants  of  Rivanazzano,  a  small 
place  a  short  distance  from  the  town  of  Voghera  in  the  former 
kingdom  of  Sardinia,  have  been  in  the  habit  of  using  mechanically 
a  certain  fluid  which  issues  in  small  rills  from  the  Madonna  del 
Monte,  as  well  as  of  burning  it  as  a  light  in  their  dwellings.  At 
the  top  of  this  mountain  there  are  traces  of  an  extinct  volcano,  and 
some  short  time  since  wells  were  sunk  at  its  foot,  and  their  con- 
tents subjected  to  chemical  analysis,  the  result  of  which  was  that 
petroleum  of  an  excellent  quality  was  found  to  be  present  in  con- 
siderable quantities.  The  explorers  then  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  abundant  subterranean  reservoirs  of  this  mineral  oil  must  ne- 


FOREIGN   OIL   FIELDS.  167 

cessarily  exist  at  no  great  distance  from  the  scene  of  their  opera- 
tions, and  they  determined  to  trace  the  above  mentioned  rills  to 
their  sources. 

Excavations  were  accordingly  commenced  on  the  borders  of  the 
pleasant  slopes  of  Nazzano,  about  twelve  kilometres  from  Voghera. 
At  a  depth  of  about  £fteen  metres  a  considerable  issue  of  gas  took 
place,  and  when  thirty  metres  had  been  reached,  salt-water  strongly 
impregnated  with  petroleum  was  met  with,  a  circumstance  which 
the  explorers  remembered  as  always  occurring  in  the  oil  springs  of 
Pennsylvania.  Following  up  the  excavations,  loud  explosions  of 
gas  took  place  at  a  depth  of  ninety  metres,  and  large  volumes  of 
salt  water  mixed  with  petroleum  issued  from  a  stratum  of  sand- 
stone rock  which  was  there  met  with.  Pumps,  on  the  principle 
of  those  used  in  America,  under  similar  circumstances,  were  then 
introduced,  and  an  abundant  supply  of  petroleum  obtained.  Ulti- 
mately, a  concession  of  this  valuable  property  was  granted  by  the 
Italian  government  to  the  explorers,  as  a  reward  for  their  exertions. 

The  petroleum  thus  obtained  has  now  been  refined,  and  found 
to  yield  a  valuable  lubricating  oil,  and  one  well  adapted  for  mixing 
up  paints  and  varnishes,  while  the  oil  for  burning  gives  a  very  bril- 
liant white  light,  and  has  been  found  remarkably  free  from  the 
offensive  odors  usually  existing  in  mineral  oils.  Our  contemporary 
adds  that  the  result  of  these  explorations  has  created  quite  a 
sensation,  and  that  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  capital  will  not  be  want- 
ing fully  to  develop  discoveries  which  have  been  pronounced  by 
eminent  engineers,  geologists  and  chemists,  to  be  most  promising 
in  a  commercial,  as  well  as  important  in  a  national  point  of  view. 

"  At  Salso  the  Marchese  della  Rosa,"  says  an  American  gentle- 
man traveling  in  Italy,  "  took  me  to  see  the  place  where  he  is 
boring  for  oil.  The  country  has  very  much  the  appearance  of 
that  around  Oil  City,  Pennsylvania.  The  Marchese  said,  that  one 
could  not  stick  a  cane  into  the  ground"  without  finding  traces  of 
oil.  The  work  has  now  been  carried  down  about  one  thousand 
feet,  but  not  in  paying  quantities. 


168 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


NEW  ZEALAND. 

IN  the  vicinity  of  Taranaki  there  is  an  exhalation  of  gas,  and 
bubbles  of  bituminous  matter,  have  been  observed  since  the  earliest 
days  of  the  settlement,  at  about  half  a  mile  from  high  water  mark, 
between  the  main-land  and  Moturoa,  the  highest  of  the  Sugar 
Loaf  Islands;  and,  according  to  Dieffenbach,  "was  whimsically 
attributed  by  the  Maoris  to  the  decomposition  of  an  atua,  or  spirit, 
who  was  drowned  there." 

It  was  not,  however,  until  November,  1869,  that  any  attempt 
appears  to  have  been  made  to  search  for  this  oil,  by  boring  or  sink- 
ing wells  on  land,  and  as  these  experiments  have  to  a  certain  de- 
gree proved  successful,  much  attention  has  been  recently  attracted 
to  this  natural  production. 

Two  companies  were  formed  to  test  the  oil  lands  of  this  island. 
The  Taranaki  Company  drilled  two  wells,  and  the  Alpha  Oil 
Company  one  well.  Dr.  James  Hector,  in  his  abstract  report  on 
the  progress  of  the  geological  survey  of  New  Zealand,  says,  close  to 
the  main  Sugar  Loaf,  and  to  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  is  the  Taranaki 
Company's  bore,  No.  1,  which  has  been  sunk  with  much  trouble 
to  a  depth  of  300  feet.  The  derrick  stands  at  ten  feet  above  high 
water ;  and  for  some  time  the  water  level  in  the  bore,  maintained 
by  this  level,  but  after  a  time  it  sunk  suddenly  to  32  feet,  which 
would  appear  to  indicate  the  existence  of  subterranean  channels, 
communicating  with  chambers  where  there  is  less  than  the  external 
atmospheric  pressure,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  condensation  of  oil  va- 
pors. At  254  feet  a  patch  of  grey,  ferruginous  tufa  was  passed 
through,  charged  with  oil,  which  was  the  only  result.  In  this  bore 
some  patches  of  hard  basaltic  rock  were  encountered,  but  in  the 
whole  there  was  no  decided  change  in  the  character  of  the  agglo- 
merate. 

Taranaki  Company's  bore,  No.  2,  is  on  the  island  on  the  north 
headland,  and  is  commenced  on  a  shelf  above  the  water  level. 
The  bore  was,  in  October,  sunk  to  a  depth  of  145  feet,  being  10 


FOREIGN  OIL  FIELDS.  169 

feet  in  the  sand-stone,  95  feet  in  the  agglomerate  breccia,  30  feet  in 
the  consolidated  tufa,  and  a  few  feet  more  in  the  agglomerate  again. 
A  few  oil  patches  have  been  passed  through,  but  no  appreciable 
quantity  has  been  obtained. 

The  third  bore  is  that  of  the  Alpha  Company,  which  is  situated 
a  short  distance  from  the  north  headland. 

At  10  feet  above  high  water,  and  close  to  the  boulder-covered 
shore,  into  a  high  sandy  cliff,  a  shaft  was  sunk  for  60  feet  into  the 
agglomerate,  from  the  sides  of  which,  at  44  feet  from  the  surface, 
oil  was  found  to  ooze. 

This  shaft  was  continued  by  a  bore  hole  to  a  depth  of  180  feet, 
oil  being  got  at  80  feet,  and  again  at  the  extreme  depth. 

When  allowed  to  stand  at  rest,  a  considerable  quantity  of  oil 
collected  on  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  well,  *  *  * 
accompanied  by  the  escape  of  gas.  The  oil  was  pumped  into  a 
tub  along  with  the  water.  Recently,  the  well  has  been  pumped 
more  regularly,  and  yields,  I  am  informed  by  the  directors,  about 
two  barrels  per  week.'' 

The  general  results  of  the  chemical  examination  of  the  oil  ob- 
tained from  these  wells  are  given  as  follows  :     One  hundred  parts 
of  crude  oil,  as  obtained  from  the  wells,  having  a  specific  gravity 
of  .963,  give- 
Distilled  oil  of  specific  gravity 874  .02 

"        "  "          "     893  .10 

"        "  "          "     917  .08 

"  "          "     941  .60 

Solid  bitumen 06.1 

Fixed  carbon 12.4 

Ash  01.5 


100.00 


The  presence  of  petroleum  has  been  reported  in  other  parts  of 
New  Zealand. 

We  understand  that  recent  developments  promise  success.  During 
the  summer  of  the  present  year  a  complete  set  of  the  most  approved 
Pennsylvania  drilling  tools  were  sent  out  to  be  used  at  this  oil 
field. 


HISTORY   OF  PETROLEUM. 

NOVA  SCOTIA. 

Attention  has  been  attracted  to  the  existence  of  surface-oil  oozing 
from  the  sand  rock  exposed  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Anslie.  A  Com- 
pany has  been  formed  at  Halifax,  and  are  now  operating  under 
the  superintendence  of  Mr.  William  Harrington.  Two  wells  have 
been  drilled  to  a  depth  of  800  feet,  in  which  the  tools  were  lost ;  a 
third  was  commenced  of  which  we  have  had  no  report.  The  drill 
has  revealed  the  existence  of  three  sand  rocks.  The  second  well 
struck  oil  at  758  feet.  Oil  was  produced  from  this  well  in  such 
abundance  as  to  give  reasonable  evidence  of  the  existence  of  oil  in 
paying  quantities.  The  oil  taken  from  the  well  was  of  unusually 
high  gravity,  and  almost  destitute  of  odor. 

The  oil  field  is  distant  from*  Halifax  some  200  miles,  and  is  near 
a  fine  harbor  on  the  coast,  which  we  understand  is  now  connected 
by  rail  with  Halifax. 


CAUCASIAN  OIL  EEGION. 

The  petroleum  deposits  of  the  region  of  the  Caucasus  are  very 
remarkable.  For  many  centuries  the  springs  have  been  known, 
and  the  oil  has  been  collected  by  skimming.  On  the  eastern  shores 
of  the  Caspian  Sea,  twenty  thousand  such  wells,  all  of  them  quite 
shallow,  existed  in  1868.  The  wells  are  described  as  being  often 
close  to  each  other,  and  the  opening  of  a  new  one,  it  is  ascertained, 
does  not  affect  the  productiveness  of  another  near  it.  One  sunk  in 
1863,  by  the  side  of  another,  which  for  centuries  had  produced 
three  thousand  five  hundred  pounds  per  day,  yielded  forty  thou- 
sand pounds  per  day,  without  affecting  in  the  least  the  first.  The 
American  method  has  lately  been  introduced,  and  flowing  wells 
have  burst  forth  from  a  depth  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  which 
have,  until  controlled,  sent  up  a  jet  from  40  to  60  feet  high.  It  is 
calculated  that  nineteen  million  pounds  are  annually  produced  in 


FOREIGN   OIL  FIELDS.  171 

the  Caucasus  region.  The  present  oil-producing  region  is  25 
miles  in  length,  and  about  half  a  mile  in  width.  The  oil  is  found 
in  a  porous  argillaceous  sand-stone  belonging  to  the  tertiary  period. 
In  the  vicinity  are  hills  of  volcanic  rocks,  through  which  heavier 
sorts  of  petroleum  flow  out.  It  has  been  observed  that  from  the 
central  portion  of  the  tract  the  oil  is  as  pure  as  if  refined,  and  by 
its  faint  yellow  tint  resembles  Sauterne  wine.  That  obtained  near 
the  sides  of  the  tract  is  darker,  changing  to  a  yellowish  green,  then 
reddish  brown,  and  finally  to  Asphaltum. 

The  oil  is  largely  introduced  into  Persia,  and  over  large  districts 
no  other  material  is  used  for  producing  artificial  light.  The  fol- 
lowing article  by  M.  Sainte-Claire-Deville  upon  the  properties  of 
Caucasian  petroleums  will  be  found  of  much  interest : 

On  the  Physical  Properties  and  the  Calorific  Power  of  some 
petroleums  of  the  Russian  Empire.  By  M.  Sainte-Claire-Deville, 
Corresponding  Member  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  St.  Peters- 
burg. Read  April  21,  1871. 

Rear  Admiral  Likhatchof  desiring  to  know,  in  the  interest  of 
the  transport  trade  on  the  Caspian  sea,  the  value  and  composition 
of  the  petroleum  oils  of  Bakou,  sent  to  me  samples  of  these  ma- 
terials. I  have  made  a  very  attentive  examination  of  them,  per- 
suaded that  one  day  the  employment  of  mineral  oils  as  a  combusti- 
ble will  be  general  in  all  countries  where  nature  furnishes  them 
abundantly  to  a  regular  and  well  organized  exploitation. 

Petroleums  receive  divers  applications  which  necessitate  a  know- 
ledge of  certain  of  their  properties  and  composition.  These  special 
properties  and  the  result  of  their  analysis  will  be  the  object  of 
this  memoir. 

1st.  The  investigation  of  volatility. — Petroleums  are  employed  in 
considerable  quantities  for  lighting  purposes.  Lamp  oils,  to  use 
an  expression  established  in  France  (les  huiles  lampantes),  ought 
at  the  same  time  to  be  very  fluid  in  order  to  mount  easily  into  the 
wick,  and  little  volatile  in  order  not  to  be  too  dangerous  in  their 
management.  The  more  fluid  these  oils  are,  the  more  volatile  are 


172  HISTORY  OF  PETKflLEUM. 

» 

they,  and  the  lower  their,  density.  When  they  distil,  as  they  do 
in  America  on  a  large  scale,  petroleum  of  low  density,  they  only 
devote  to  the  manufacture  of  lamp  oils  the  intermediate  products 
whose  points  of  ebullition  are  above  150°  and  below  250°  or  280°. 
Those  portions  which  go  above  300°  in  the  retorting  possess  a 
viscosity  which  make  them  useless  for  lamps,  and  puts  them  in 
demand  for  the  fabrication  of  lubricating  matters,  or  for  fuel.  To 
handle  a.  petroleum  oil,  one  must  know  exactly  the  number  which 
represents  the  quantity  of  these  volatile  matters  between  150°  and 
300°.  This  number  indicates  the  proportion  of  lamp  oils  which 
can  be  extracted  from  the  natural  product. 

All  that  which  does  not  pass  in  the  distillation  below  280° 
should  be  considered  as  properly  furnishing  the  lubricating  oils, 
or  to  be  employed  without  danger  as  a  combustible  of  perfect 
quality.  As  to  the  volatile  portions  below  150°,  they  are  com- 
posed of  gaseous  substances,  such  as  hydrure  of  butyline,  or  of 
matters  possessing  at  ordinary  temperatures  strong  volatility.  These 
are  the  substances  which  cause  such  frequent  accidents  since  the 
development  of  a  commerce  in  petroleums  on  so  grand  a  scale. 

The  table  which  I  am  about  to  give,  and  which  contains  numer- 
ous figures  relative  to  the  volatility  of  the  Caucasian  oils,  enables 
them  to  distinguish  at  once  those  which  are  dangerous,  those  which 
furnish  lamp  oils,  and  finally  the  parts  of  these  oils  which  may  be 
employed  for  heating  purposes. 

It  will  suffice  for  this  to  state  for  each  of  them  the  quantities  of 
materials  volatilized  below  150°,  between  150°  and  300°,  and 
those  which  have  resisted  this  temperature. 

M.  Likhatehof  has  sent  me  three  specimens  of  oils,  or  products 
of  the  works  at  Bakou.  On  submitting  them  to  distillation,  the 
following  results  are  obtained  : 

No.  I.  Raw  Naphtha,  from  the  Balchany  Wells. 

Volatile  matters  at   100° l.o  per  cent. 

«  "        160 5.0      " 

"  "        180  9.3      " 

"  "  200 14.0        " 


FOREIGN  OIL   FIELDS.  173 


Volatile 

matters  at 

220  

1  5.  3  per  cent. 

260  

29.0      « 

" 

« 

280  

37-0      " 

« 

30<>  

41-3       " 

No. 

2.  Residue  from  distillation  of  the  Bakou  Works. 

M 

tt 

240°  

I.O         " 

" 

u 

260  

2.3       " 

" 

tt 

280  

4-3      " 

" 

tt 

300  

7.7       « 

M 

?.  3.    Black  oil  from  the  Weyser  Works,  Bakou. 

" 

" 

200  

2.3      « 

" 

K 

240  

" 

" 

260    

14.0      " 

" 

tt 

280   

22.3      « 

" 

(t 

300   

33-7      " 

Numbers  1  and  3  give  a  certain  quantity  of  lamp  oil,  and 
number  2  can  only  serve  as  a  combustible  or  lubricating  substance. 

The  specimens  from  another  source,  but  which  have  been  col- 
lected at  Bakou  itself,  and  of  which  M.  Likhatchof  has  sent  me 
great  quantities,  have  given  the  following  results  : 

NO.  4. — LIGHT  OIL. 

Volatile  parts  at  140° 2.7  per  cent. 

"        "  160 7.0  " 

"  180 13.3  " 

"        "  220 19.0  " 

"        "  240. 23.3  « 

"        "  260 29.3  " 

"        "  280 36.7  " 

"  300 75.3  " 

NO.    $. — VISCOUS  OIL. 

Volatile  parts  at  200° l.o  per  cent. 

"  "  220  , 1.3        " 

240  3-7        « 

"  "  260   I.O        " 

"        "          280 6.0      " 

300 9.7    " 

These  materials  are  those  which  have  served  to  determine  the 
calorific  power  which  will  be  given  further  on. 


174  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

2d.  Density  and  co-efficients  of  dilatation. — I  have  had  many 
times  occasion  to  note  the  dangers  which  arise  during  the  trans- 
portation of  petroleums  from  their  considerable  dilatability.  When 
a  building  is  filled  with  barrels  containing  petroleum,  a  large 
empty  space  must  be  left  in  order  to  avoid  their  explosion ;  the 
volume  of  which  space  can  be  calculated  from  tables  now  to  be 
cited,  constructed  with  reference  to  the  changes  of  temperature  to 
which  the  material  may  be  exposed  on  its  voyage  or  during  its  stay 
in  the  ports  and  warehouses  of  commerce. 

I  have  taken  the  density  at  0°  and  at  50°  of  the  petroleum  oils 
of  Bakou,  and  have  calculated  with  these  numbers  their  co-effi- 
cients of  dilatation.  Supposing  the  oil  to  be  exposed  during  its 
voyage  to  a  change  of  temperature  of  50°,  which  is  prudent  to 
admit,  the  value  of  the  space  which  must  be  left  empty  in  the 
vessel  is  found  by  means  of  the  following  formula  :  v  +  k  -j-  50  ;  v 
being  the  volume  of  the  vessel,  and  k  being  the  co-efficient  of  dila- 
tation given  below : 

No.  i.  Density  at  o° 0.882,  raw  naphtha  from  the  Balchany  wells. 

at  50° 0.8473. 

Co-efficient  of  dilatation ...0.000781. 

No.  2.  Density  at   o° o  928,  residue  of  distillation  from  Bakou  works. 

at  50° 0.888 

Co-efficient  of  dilatation ... 0.00091. 

No.  3.   Density  at  o° 0897,  black  oil  from  Weyser  works   of  Bakou. 

at   50° 7.865. 

Co-efficient  of  dilatation 0.000737. 

No.  4.  Density  at   o° 0.884,  light  oil  of  Bakou. 

at  50° 0.854. 

Co-efficient  of  dilatation *. 0.000724. 

No.  5.  Density  at  o° 0.938,  heavy  oil  of  Bakou. 

at  50° 0.907. 

Co-efficient  of  dilatation 0.000681. 

3d.  Elementary  composition. — The  elementary  analysis  of  petro- 
leum serves  principally  to  calculate  the  theoretical  calorific  power 
of  these  minerals.  In  default  of  direct  determination,  you  can 
admit  that  the  quantity  of  heat  given  by  the  combustion  of  the 
compound  is  the  sum  of  the  quantities  of  heat  of  the  combustion 


FOREIGN   OIL   FIELDS.  175 

of  the  elements,  and  calculate  thus  the  calorific  power  of  these  hy- 
dro-carbons. The  number  thus  found  for  petroleums  is  always  a 
maximum  that  experience  never  permits  us  to  reach,  doubtless 
because  carbon  and  hydrogen  in  combining  disengage  heat,  and 
.naturally  this  disengaged  heat  is  no  longer  present  in  the  com- 
pound. But,  as  M.  Macquorn  Rankine  has  very  judiciously  re- 
marked, you  obtain  by  this  calculation  an  approximate  number, 
which,  wholly  inexact  as  it  is,  may  be  a  guide  in  the  comparison 
of  values,  as  combustible  of  divers  mineral  oils.  Here  are  the 
results  which  I  have  obtained  by  analyzing  the  petroleums  of 
Bakou.  I  designate  them  by  the  numbers  which  have  already 
served  me  to  specify  them  in  the  preceding  chapters. 

No.  I.  Hydrogen 12.5 

Carbon 87.4 

Oxygen o.i 


100. 

No.  2.  Hydrogen 11.7 

Carbon 87.1 

Oxygen 1.2 


100. 

No.  3.  Hydrogen 12-0 

Carbon 86.5 

Oxygen 1.5 


100. 

No.  4.  Hydrogen 13.6 

Carbon 86.3 

Oxygen o.i 


100. 

No.  5.   Hydrogen ,  12.3 

Carbon 86.6 

Oxygen i.i 


100. 


To  compute  with  these  results  the  heat  of  combustion,  deduct 
from  the  number  of  hydrogen  one-eighth  of  the  oxygen  found,  mul- 
tiply this  difference  by  344.62,  multiply  the  number  of  the  carbon 
by  80.8,  and  get  the  sum  of  the  two  products  thus  obtained. 


176  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

Thus  calculated,  the  following  table  gives  the  theoretical  heat  of 
combustion  of  the  Bakou  oils : 

No.  * 11,370  units  of  caloric. 

2 11,000  "  " 

3 11,060        "        " 

4 11,660        "        " 

5 u,aoo        "        " 

4th.  Calorific  power  or  heat  of  combustion. — I  have  determined 
already  the  calorific  power  of  petroleums  by  proceedings  which 
have  been  described  in  the  reports  rendered  by  the  Academy  of 
Sciences  of  France  (see  volume  Ixviii.,  page  349).  No  longer 
having  at  my  disposal  the  apparatus  which  has  served  for  these 
experiments,  I  have  had  recourse  to  a  method  which  seems  to  me 
to  give  also  very  good  results,  and  which  has  the  advantage  of  pos- 
sible application  whenever  you  have  a  steam-engine  whose  boiler 
is  heated  by  mineral  oils. 

I  have  shown  that  the  heavy  oil  of  gas  works  has  a  very  nearly 
constant  composition,  and  furnishes  with  truly  remarkable  regu- 
larity the  same  quantity  of  heat  when  it  is  burned  in  a  calorimeter 
rightly  arranged.  Under  these  conditions  heavy  oil  at  0°,  a  density 
of  1.044,  furnishes  by  kilogram  12&.77  of  vapor,  and  produces  in 
burning  8,916  units  of  caloric.  These  numbers  being  definitely 
fixed  (see  reports  rendered,  vol.  Ixvi.,  page  450),  it  is  evident  that  a 
sufficiently  exact  relation  could  be  obtained  by  burning  successively 
representative  heavy  oil  under  the  boiler  of  a  steam-engine  pro- 
ducing a  known  work,  and  then  the  oil  to  be  experimented  on 
doing  also  the  same  work,  and  burning  the  same  quantity  of  matter. 
The  quantities  of  water  vaporized  by  the  combustibles  will  be  very 
nearly  in  proportion  to  their  calorific  powers.  As  you  know  the 
number  for  the  heavy  oil,  a  simple  proportion  enables  you  to 
determine  the  heat  of  the  combustion  of  the  mineral  oil  taken  ex- 
perimentally. 

I  operated  upon  an  engine  with  a  Belleville  boiler  of  eight-horse 
power.  I  maintained  constant,  for  less  than  a  tenth  of  an  atmos- 


FOREIGN  OIL  FIELDS.  177 

phere  nearly,  the  pressure  in  the  boiler,  while  the  engine  was  con- 
densing in  a  large  iron  reservoir  of  forty  cubic  meters,  air  at  a 
constant  pressure  of  two  atmospheres  three-quarters. 

The  air  brought  in  by  pumps  escaped  by  a  cock  whose  opening 
was  conveniently  arranged  so  that  —  the  engine  doing  a  constant 
work  —  the  pressure  in  the  reservoir  remained  itself  absolutely  in- 
variable. Under  the  conditions  which  I  have  just  mentioned,  you 
can  measure  exactly  the  quantity  of  water  volatilized  in  the  boiler, 
the  quantities  of  oil  consumed  to  produce  the  constant  work  of  the 
engine,  and  when  you  have  made  the  two  determinations  suc- 
cessively for  the  heavy  gas,  oil  serving  as  representative  and  the  oil 
taken  as  experiment,  you  have  given  all  that  is  necessary  to  calcu- 
late the  calorific  power  of  this  last. 

1st.  Bakou  oil,  specimen  sent  by  M.  Likhatchof,  and  arrived  in 
a  sheet-iron  box  carefully  closed,  fluid  oil  and  already  studied 
above  under  No.  4. 

Here  are  the  results  of  its  comparison  with  heavy  oil  : 

Heavy  oil  has  given  — 

Pressure  of  the  engine  .......................................................      3#-8. 

Pressure  of  the  air  in  the  reservoir  ........................................       2#-75 

Temperature  of  the  feed  water  .....  .  ......................................  26° 

Volatilized  water  ...............................................................  i6ik. 

Oil  consumed  ...................................................................  18^.23 

Oil  No.  4  has  given- 

Pressure  of  the  steam  ....................................  .-...  .................     30.8 

Pressure  of  the  air  in  the  reservoir....  ....................................     20.75 

Temperature  of  the  feed  water  .............................................     26°. 

Volatilized  water 
Weight  of  the  oil  burned 


From  this  is  deduced  : 

1st.  Calorific  power  of  oil  No.  4,  11,460  cal.  Quantity  of  vapor 
produced  at  an  ordinary  pressure,  and  without  work,  by  1  kilogram 
of  oil,  16&.4. 

2d.  Bakou  oil,  specimen  sent  by  M.  Likhatchof,  and  arrived  in 
a  shee£5ron  box  carefully  closed,  oil  very  viscous,  and  already  ex- 
amined above  under  No.  5.  • 
12 


178  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

This  oil,  to  flow  easily  in  the  pipes  of  conduit,  requires  that  it 
should  be  put  under  a  pressure  of  about  4  decimeters  of  mercury. 
To  burn  well  an  oil  so  little  volatile,  you  must  give  to  the  vertical 
grating  of  my  preparations  (see  their  descriptions  in  the  reports 
rendered,  vol.  Ixviii.,  page  349),  a  little  more  height  than  for  the 
fluid  oils,  and  so  dispose  it  (or  such  a  disposition)  that  the  air  arrive 
a  little  more  easily  at  the  bottom  than  at  the  top  of  the  grate,  where 
the  access  of  the  air  should  be  a  little  narrower. 

Oil  No.  5  has  given  — 

Vaporized  water  ...............................................  .  ..................  126^.6 

Oil  consumed  ........  , 


From  this  is  deduced  : 

Calorific  power  of  oil  No.  5  .............................................  10,800  cal. 

Quantity  of  vapor  produced  without  work  and  at  ordinary  pres- 
sure by  I  kilogram  of  oil  ..........  ,  ............................. 


If  you  compare  these  calorific  powers  with  those  which  were 
theoretically  deduced  from  their  composition,  you  find  : 

Observed  power.         Calculated  power.       Diff. 
Oil  No.  4  ...........................  11,460  cal.  11,660  cal.  200 

OilNo.5  ...............  ...........  io,8oocal.  11,200  cal.  400 

If  you  admit  that  this  difference  which  is  in  mean  some  300 
units  of  heat,  between  the  real  calorific  power  and  the  calculated 
calorific  power,  is  the  same  for  all  the  Bakou  oils,  you  find  for  the 
specimens  of  the  materials  sent  me  by  M.  Likhatchof,  which  bears 
the  numbers  1,  2,  3,  and  of  which  too  small  a  quantity  were  sent 
me  to  make  the  experiment  possible,  the  following  results  : 

Real  power.  Calculated  power. 

No.  I  .........................  ................  11,070  cal.  n,37ocal. 

2  .........  .................................  jo,7oo  cal.  11,000  cal. 

3  ..........................................  10,760  cal.  n,o6ocal. 

All  these  determinations  are  infected  by  a  very  slight  cause  of 
error,  proceeding  from  the  manner  in  which  the  calculations  are 
established.  But  they  demonstrate  nevertheless  that  the  oils  of 
Bakou,  compared  to  the  American  and  European  oils  which  I  have 
examined  previously,  hold  the  first  rank  from  the  considerable 
value  of  their  calorific  power. 


FOKEIGN  OIL   FIELDS.  179 

THE  SHALE  OIL  BUSINESS  OF  EUROPE,  ETC. 
Scotland  holds  the  first  place  in  the  manufacture  of  shale  oil.    It 
is  estimated  that  800,000  tons  of  shale  are  annually  put  into  the 
retorts  of  the  various  Scotch  oil  works.     The  probable  yield  of 
crude  oil  from  this  source  is  reckoned  at  25,000,000  gallons.     To 
obtain  this  result,  and  also  for  the  distillation  of  the  crude,  about 
500,000  tons  of  fuel  must  be  used.     The  principal  product  from 
the  crude  is  burning  oil,  of  which  300,000  to  350,000  barrels  may 
be  taken  as  the  annual  yield.     Of  lubricating  oil,  the  demand  for 
which  appears  to  be  increasing,  there  is  produced  about  9,800  tons. 
Also  paramne  wax — of  which  the  bulk  is  made  into  beautiful,  semi- 
transparent  candles,  and  the  commonest  of  it  is  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  lucifer  matches— say  5,800  tons.     To  these  figures  may 
be  added  some  2,300  tons  of  sulphate  of  ammonia,  and  several 
thousand  barrels  of  coal  oil  spirit.     The  probable  commercial  value 
of  these  products  is  estimated  at  $1,260,000.     All  told,  there  are 
about  fifty  shale  oil  works  in  Scotland.     Russia  is  advancing  in 
this  department  of  industry ;  probably  the  largest  works  of  the 
kind  in  the  world  are  to  be  found  at  Riazan.    Works  are  now  being 
erected  at  Taganroy  of  a  very  extensive  character  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  shale  oil.     From  experiments  made  with  this  coal-shale  the 
result  is  said  to  have  been  satisfactory  in  the  very  highest  degree. 
As  regards  the  mineral,  recent  explorations  have  led  to  the  dis- 
covery that  there  are  apparently  inexhaustible  coal  mines  in  Khar- 
loff  and  Taganroy,  and  from  these  oil  can  be  produced  in  ex- 
tremely large  quantities.     This  mineral  is  pronounced  to  be,  some 
of  it,  anthracite,  and  some  "  half  anthracite,"  while  another  quality 
of  it  is  called  "  smolisteongle,"  or  steam  coal. 

In  France  and  Germany  quite  a  number  of  these  works  exist,  and 
are  in  working  order.  Of  their  number  and  capacity,  we  are  una- 
ble to  get  reliable  (statistics. 

Shale  oil  works  are  to  be  found  in  England,  Spain,  at  Constan- 
tinople, in  Italy,  Bohemia  and  Australia,  in  which  latter  the  works 


180  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

are  very  extensive.  Under  the  present  mode  of  retorting  the  shale 
gives  a  yield  of  150  gallons  of  crude  to  the  ton.  This  gives  a  net 
return  of  50  per  cent.,  or  75  gallons  of  clear  illuminating  oil. 
This  company  (New  South  Wales  Shale  and  Oil  Company)  manu- 
factures about  20,000  barrels  per  annum. 

We  understand  that  there  is  one  company  in  Ireland  who  extract 
oil  from  the  peat  deposits,  so  plentiful  in  that  country.  Previous 
to  the  discovery  of  petroleum  a  large  number  of  coal-oil  works  ex- 
isted in  the  United  States ;  at  present  there  is  but  one,  that  of 
Henry  R.  Foote,  at  New  Galilee,  forty  miles  from  Pittsburgh. 


Drilling  an  Oil  Well. 

INSIDE  VIEW  OF  A  DERRICK. 


GEOLOGICAL.  181 


GEOLOGICAL. 


THE  OIL  FIELDS  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,  ETC. 

THE  geology  of  the  oil  country  is  a  subject  upon  which  many 
theories  have  been  wrecked.  In  dealing  with  it  we  purpose  to 
present  in  this  chapter  a  few  quotations  from  the  best  authorities 
we  can  find  upon  the  subject,  and  we  would  here  acknowledge  our 
indebtedness  to  that  excellent  little  work  of  Henry  E.  Wrigley, 
Esq.,  C.  E.* 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Allegany  mountains  divide  the  United 
States  geologically  as  well  as  geographically ;  that  east  of  them  lie 
the  transition,  the  primitive  and  alluvial  formations,  and  west  of 
them  the  great  secondary  formation,  or  formation  by  deposition 
from  water.  This  secondary  formation  extends  across  the  conti- 
nent, from  the  Alleganies  to  points  far  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

Whether  the  great  valley,  drained  by  the  Mississippi,  was  once 
swept  over  by  an  ocean,  of  which  the  great  lakes  are  but  the 
remaining  puddles,  is  not  an  object  of  immediate  interest.  That 
the  Alleganies  formed  the  shore  or  beach  of  some  such  body  of 
water,  and  that  along  its  edge  were  strewed  animal  and  vegetable 
.remains,  it  is  undoubtedly  safe  to  assume. 

The  presence  of  carbon,  as  the  base  of  oil,  shows  that  these 
deposits  were  either  animal  or  vegetable,  it  being  the  base  of  the 

*  Practical  Memoranda  for  the  Use  of  Refiners,  Producers  and  Shippers  of  Petro^ 
leum.    Cleveland,  1872. 


182 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM:. 


animal  and  vegetable  world,  as  silica  is  likewise  of  the  mineral 
world. 

Of  course,  the  drill  does  not  reach  these  deposits.  They  lie  per- 
haps almost  uniformly  under  the  edge  of  this  formation,  at  a  depth 
of  from  30  to  40,000  feet.  The  heat  at  this  depth,  although  only 
a  matter  of  estimate,  is  doubtless  very  great,  as  we  know  that  be- 
tween 150  and  2000  feet  in  depth,  there  is  an  increase  of  30P. 
It  would  seem,  then,  that  these  deposits  of  animal  or  vegetable 
matter  are  volatilized  and  thrown  off  into  the  upper  rocks,  and 
condensed  there,  by  the  lower  temperature,  into  liquid  oil. 
Into  what  rock  the  gas  will  enter,  will  depend  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  the  rock.  A  close  slate  or  sandstone  will  resist  it ;  but 
wherever  it  finds  a  crevice  or  an  open  porous  rock,  it  will  force  its 
way  into  it,  and  will  condense  there. 

Consequently  the  rock  itself  is  the  guide  of  the  driller  in  search- 
ing for  oil,  and  the  location  of  the  oil  producing  spots,  resolves  itself 
into  the  existence  of  this  porous  sand  rock. 

All  the  oil-producing  spots  that  have  been  found  in  this  section 
of  the  United  States  are  included  in  a  belt  of  twenty  miles  in  width, 
stretching  from  Western  New  York  to  Tennessee,  in  a  line  paral- 
lel with  the  Alleganies,  and  lying  about  fifty  miles  to  the  west  of 
them.  The  producing  spots  themselves  are  in  area  but  the  small- 
est specks  upon  this  belt,  and  are  scattered  over  it  in  such  an  indis- 
criminate manner,  that  it  is  impossible  to  trace  any  connection 
between  them,  or,  rather,  to  deduce  the  position  of  one  producing 
spot  from  others,  with  any  degree  of  satisfaction.  It  is  equally 
impossible  to  trace  any  connection  between  these  spots  and  the 
water-shed  or  river-drainage  of  the  country. 

A  matter  which  will  somewhat  affect  the  question  of  production 
at  the  south  end  of  the  belt  is  the  dip  of  the  sand  rock  deeper  into 
the  earth  as  it  goes  south.  Although  this  is,  in  a  great  measure, 
counteracted  by  the  general  slope  of  the  water-shed  of  the  country 
in  that  direction,  it  will  still  average,  as  near  as  can  be  ascertained 
by  leveling  and  drilling,  about  thirty  inches  to  the  mile.  Professor 


GEOLOGICAL.  183 

Silliman  says,  that  "  Petroleum  is  uniformly  regarded  as  a  product 
of  vegetable  decomposition." 

Professor  Dana  says :  "  Petroleum  is  a  bituminous  liquid  result- 
ing from  the  decomposition  of  marine  or  land  plants  (mainly  the 
latter),  and  perhaps  also  of  some  non-nitrogenous  animal  tissues." 

Professor  Denton  says :  "  It  is  a  coral  oil,  not  formed  from  the 
bodies  of  the  coral  polyps,  as  some  have  supposed,  but  secreted  by 
them  from  the  impure  waters,  principally,  though  not  exclusively, 
of  the  Devonian  times." 

Professor  Winchell  says:  "Crude  petroleum  is  not  a  product 
of  definite  composition.  It  seems  to  be  a  varying  mixture  of  seve- 
ral hydro-carbons,  some  of  which,  as  naphtha,  volatilize  with  rapid- 
ity when  exposed  to  the  atmosphere ;  others,  as  kerosene,  slowly ; 
while  others,  as  bitumen,  are  nearly  fixed.  It  contains  also  vary- 
ing quantities  of  aluminous  matter  and  other  impurities. 

Petrolejum  occurs  in  stratified  rocks  of  all  ages,  from  the  Lauren- 
tian  to  the  recent.  It  has  even  been  observed  in  some  rocks  of  a  gran- 
itic structure.  The  mere  presence  of  petroleum  in  a  formation  is  far 
from  being  evidence  that  it  exists  in  large  quantities.  Observation 
has  shown  that  it  does  not  exist  in  large  quantities  in  any  formation 
except  under  certain  intelligible  conditions.  Its  presence  in  small 
quantities  is  to  be  expected. 

It  is  an  opinion  almost  universal  among  geologists  that  petroleum 
has  been  produced  from  organic  remains.  Hence  long  before  the 
discovery  of  the  eozoon  in  Laurentian  rocks,  it  had  been  inferred 
that  organic  life  existed  upon  our  planet  during  the  accumulation 
of  these  rocks,  because,  among  other  reasons,  they  afford  con- 
spicuous quantities  of  petroleum.  Geologists  are  somewhat  divided 
in  opinion  as  to  whether  animal  or,  vegetable  organisms  have 
afforded  most  of  th«  native  oil.  Little  dissent  exists,  however, 
from  the  doctrine  that  most  of  the  oil  occupying  the  pores  and 
pockets  of  fossiliferous  limestone  has  been  derived  from  animal 
bodies,  while  that  saturating  shales,  and  arising  from  shales,  has 
had  a  vegetable  origin.  As  the  oil  of  commerce  is  probably  de- 


184  HISTORY  OF   PETKOLEUM. 

rived  from  the  latter  course,  it  appears  that  we  are  to  regard  our 
commercial  oil  as  a  vegetable  product." 

Professor  Winchell  closes  his  article  on  the  geological  phenomena 
of  petroleum*  by  presenting  a  synopsis  of  oil  regions,  and  the 
formation  tributary  to  their  supplies. 

I.  The  black  shales  of  the  Cincinnati  group  afford  oil  which  ac- 
cumulates in  the  fissured  shaly  limestones  of  the  same  group,  and 
supplies  the  Burkesville  region  of  Southern  Kentucky,  and  Mani- 
toulin  Island,  in  Lake  Huron. 

II.  The  Marcellus  shale  affords  most  of  the  petroleum  which 
accumulates  in  the  fissured  shaly  limestones  of  the  Hamilton  group, 
and  thus  supplies  the  Ontario  oil  region,  locally  divided  into  the 
Bothwell  district,  the  Oil  Springs  district,  and  the  Petrolea  district. 
The  Marcellus  shale  affords  also  a  large  portion  of  the  oil  which 
accumulates  in  the  drift  gravel  of  the  Ontario  region. 

III.  The  Genesee  shale,  with  perhaps  some  contributions  from 
the  Marcellus  shale,  affords  oil  which  accumulates  in  cavities  and 
fissures  within  itself  in  some  of  the  Glasgow  region  of  Southern 
Kentucky.     It  affords  also  the  oil  which  accumulates  in  the  sand- 
stones of  the  Portage  and  Chemung  group,  in  North-western  Penn- 
sylvania and  contiguous  parts  of  Ohio.     It  affords  also  the  oil 
which  accumulates  in  the  sandstones  of  the  Waverly  (Marshall) 
group,  in  Central  Ohio.     It  affords  also  that  which  accumulates  in 
the  mountain  limestone  of  the  Glasgow  region  of  Kentucky  and 
contiguous  parts  of  Tennessee,  as  also  some  of  that  which  is  found 
in  the  drift  gravel  of  the  Ontario  region. 

IV.  The  shaly  coals  of  the  false  coal  measures,  aided,  perhaps, 
by  the  Genesee  and  Marcellus  shales,  seem  to  afford  the  oil  which 
assembles  in  the  coal  conglomerate,  as  worked  in  South-western 
Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia,  Southern  Ohio,  and  the  contiguous, 
but  comparatively  barren,  regions,  of  Paint  Creek,  in  Kentucky. 

V.  The  coal  measures  may  perhaps  be  regarded  as  affording  a 

*  Sketches  of  Creation.    Alex.  Winchell,  LL.  D. 


GEOLOGICAL.  185 

questionable  amount  of  oil,  which  may  have  been  found  within  the 
limits  of  the  coal  measures  in  the  West  Virginia  and  neighbor- 
ing regions. 

From  this  exhibit,  it  appears  that  the  principal  supplies  of  pe- 
troleum, east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  have  been  generated  in  four 
different  formations,  accumulated  in  nine  different  formations,  and 
worked  in  nine  different  districts.  The  sandstone  beds  in  which 
the  Pennsylvania  oil  is  found,  belong  to  the  Chemung  group  of  the 
Devonian  formation.  It  is  so  called  from  the  Chemung  river,  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  where  it  is  well  exhibited. 


186  HISTORY   OF   PETEOLEUM. 


HISTORICAL  DATA. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  PETROLEUM  PRODUCTS. 

Communicated  to  the  Society  of  Arts,  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology,  March  14th,  1872,  by  S.  DANA  HAYES,  State 
Assay er  and  CJiemist  for  Massachusetts ,  etc.,  etc. 

BY  referring  to  any  authentic  shipping-list,  the  number  of  thou- 
sand gallons  of  crude  and  refined  petroleum  sent  away  from  the 
United  States  every  day  and  week  may  be  ascertained ;  and  very  lit- 
tle search  in  this  direction  develops  statistics  that  are  surprising  to 
persons  previously  unfamiliar  with  them.  As,  for  example,  the 
total  value  of  the  crude  and  refined  petroleum  exported  last  year 
(1871,)  estimated  at  a  low  average  value  of  twenty-five  cents  per 
gallon,  amounts  to  nearly  thirty -five  millions  of  dollars,  in  one  year. 
And  it  is  especially  notable  that  a  considerable  proportion  of  this 
material  is  classed  as  "  refined,"  and  consists  of  products  manufac- 
tured from  the  crude  petroleum  of  the  wells  before  shipment.  There 
is  certainly  no  other  article  of  commerce  ^exhibiting  similar  statis- 
tics of  production  and  manufacture  among  the  industries  of  this 
country. 

The  object  of  this  memoir  is  to  briefly  sketch  the  history  and 
present  condition  of  the  manufacture  of  petroleum — a  manufacture 
which  is  of  great  importance,  and  which,  after  the  diligent  study 
given  to  it,  and  under  skillful  management,  yields  products  supe- 
rior to  those  obtained  in  Europe,  and  elsewhere,  from  the  same 
crude  material. 

The  literature  on  this  subject  is  at  ^present  exceedingly  meager, 


HISTORICAL  DATA.  187 

and  generally  in  short  articles,  not  always  trustworthy,  distributed 
through  many  journals  and  publications  of  different  kinds ;  and 
very  little  correct  history  can  be  compiled  from  any  records,  ex- 
cepting those  of  the  Patent  Office.  But  as  the  industry  itself  is 
not,  at  most,  more  than  eighteen  years  old,  we  find,  in  the  experi- 
ence of  practical  chemists  and  manufacturers,  a  fund  of  very  valua- 
ble and  interesting  information  relating  directly  to  the  subject. 

Having  had  uncommon  opportunities  for  making  myself  familiar 
with  the  manufacture  of  petroleum  products,  after  careful  investiga- 
tion, and  in  the  correspondence  of  others,  I  find  it  generally  ac- 
knowledged that  to  Mr.  Joshua  Merrill,  manufacturing  chemist  of 
the  Downer  Kerosene  Oil  Company,  of  Boston,  more  than  to  any 
one  else,  belongs  the  honor  of  bringing  this  manufacture  to  its  pre- 
sent advanced  state ;  and,  as  an  account  of  his  labors  and  discoveries 
in  this  connection  would  provide  a  nearly  complete  history  of  the 
art,  I  take  pleasure  in  recording  some  of  them  in  this  form. 

COUP  OIL. — The  first  coal-oil  made  for  sale  in  this  country,  was 
produced  at  the  works  of  the  United  States  Chemical  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  in  Waltham,  Mass.,  by  Messrs.  Philbrick  and  At- 
wood,  early  in  the  year  1852.  It  was  made,  in  connection  with 
picric  acid,  benzole,  and  other  products,  from  coal-tar ;  and  was 
named  by  Luther  Atwood,  the  inventor,  "  Coup  Oil,"  after  the 
coup  d'etat  of  Louis  Napoleon,  which  had  taken  place  a  few  months 
before. 

This  was  a  lubricating  oil  for  machinery,  of  which  a  hundred 
and  seventy-five  thousand  gallons  were  made.  It  was  used  by 
many  of  the  largest  factories  and  railroads,  and  at  that  time  was  so 
highly  esteemed,  that  Messrs-.  Atwood  and  Merrill  were  employed 
to  make  and  sell  it  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  for  Messrs.  George  Mil- 
ler &  Company,  in  1855  and  1856.  But  if  compared  with  a  neu- 
tral hydro-carbon  lubricating  oil  of  the  present  day,  it  would  be 
considered  entirely  unmerchantable,  on  account  of  its  very  offensive 
odor  and  other  comparatively  poor  qualities. 

EARLY  EXPERIMENTS. — In  1856   Mr.   Samuel  Downer  who 


188  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

had  previously  been  a  successful  sperm  and  whale-oil  merchant, 
erected  buildings  in  South  Boston,  and  employed  Mr.  Merrill  to 
manufacture  hydro-carbon  oils  for  lubricating  purposes  especially  • 
and  a  great  many  experiments  were  tried  there,  on  a  manufacturing 
scale,  with  different  forms  of  apparatus;  and  to  determine  the 
most  suitable  crude  material  from  which  to  make  these  oils. 

About  four  hundred  tons  of  Trinidad  bitumen,  and  one  hundred 
tons  of  Cuban  "  chapapote,"  were  consumed,  and  converted  into 
lubricating  and  burning  oils,  during  these  early  experiments.  The 
experience  gained  in  this  way,  and  the  many  difficulties  then  over- 
come, proved  of  great  service  in  the  latter  operations  at  these 
works. 

THE  FIRST  ILLUMINATING  OIL. — Light  coal-oil  products  ap- 
pear to  have  been  used  by  individuals  in  this  country,  for  illumi- 
nating purposes  previous  to  this  time ;  but  upon  the  introduction 
of  the  Knapp  and  Dietz  lamps,  which  were  originally  designed  for 
burning  resin  and  other  oils,  it  was  found  that  some  of  the  light 
hydro-carbons  obtained  from  these  West  Indian  bitumens  burned 
freely  in  them,  yielding  a  bright  and  beautiful  light  as  compared 
with  that  from  the  animal  oil  lamps  and  candles  previously  in 
common  use.  This  was  an  important  advance,  and  inaugurated 
the  general  burning  of  these  hydro-carbons  in  lamps  in  this  part  of 
the  country ;  the  first  illuminating  oil  having  been  made  by  Mr. 
Merrill,  from  Trinidad  bitumen,  in  1856. 

ALBERTITE  PRODUCTS. — In  the  spring  of  1857,  the  first  at- 
tempts to  use  the  Albert  coal,  from  Hillsboro',  New  Brunswick,  as 
a  source  of  lubricating  and  illuminating  hydro-carbon  oils,  were 
made  at  South  Boston.  But  the  condensing  apparatus,  which  had 
been  used  when  distilling  other  coals  and  bitumens,  was  found  to 
be  unsuitable  for  this  new  material,  as  a  black  asphaltum-like  sub- 
stance passed  bodily  over-out  of  the  retorts,  and  often  closed  the 
cool  pipes  of  these  condensers.  This  difficulty  was  only  overcome 
after  six  months  spent  in  experimenting  by  Mr.  Merrill,  who  then 
invented  an  atmospheric  condenser,  which,  being  constructed  of 


HISTOEICAL  DATA.  189 

large  hollow  disks,  allowed  this  tarry  distillate  to'  pass  through, 
with  the  more  liquid  hydro-carbons,  from,  which  it  was  separated  af- 
terward. With  this  improved  apparatus,  the  Albertite  proved 
such  a  valuable  material,  that,  in  the  fall  of  1857,  six  retorts,  each 
having  a  capacity  for  twelve  hundred  pounds  of  coal,  were  erected 
in  the  open  air,  with  the  new  condensers  attached,  and  together 
yielded  about  three  hundred  and  sixty  gallons  of  crude  coal-oil  in 
twenty-four  hours.  Twelve  more  retorts  were  soon  added  to  these 
six,  out  of  doors.  After  Mr.  Downer  had  made  contracts  with  the 
Albert  Mining  Company  for  a  regular  supply  of  their  mineral, 
thirty  retorts  were  erected  in  a  substantial  brick  building ;  and 
these  were  followed  by  twenty  more,  the  first  eighteen  having  been 
worn  out  and  removed.  These  fifty  retorts  were  used  for  more 
than  four  years,  and  produced  at  the  rate  of  nine  hundred  thousand 
gallons  of  crude,  or  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  gallons  of  re- 
fined oils  each  year — quantities  very  much  larger  than  were  antici- 
pated when  the  first  experiments  were  made,  in  1856. 

A  very  large  part  of  the  products  from  this  Albertite  mineral 
were  hydro-carbons  used  for  lubricating  purpose  ;  and  their  acknow- 
ledged excellence  was  entirely  due  to  the  untiring  labor  and  skill 
of  the  manufacturing  chemist.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  persons 
unfamiliar  with  the  distillations  of  this  mineral  to  realize  at  the 
present  time,  when  similar  processes  are  in  common  operation,  how 
many  obstacles  there  were  to  success  in  these  early  days.  Many  of 
the  best  forms  of  steam-distilling,  and  other  apparatus  now  in  use, 
were  employed  and  perfected  then. 

"  CRACKING." — One  observation  made  by  Mr.  Merrill  during 
the  manufacture  of  Albertite  products  became  of  such  practical  and 
scientific  importance  in  after  years,  that  it  is  worthy  of  special 
description  here. 

The  light  or  "thin."  products,  afterwards  used  as  illuminators, 
were  for  a  long  time  unmerchantable,  and  the  production  of  them 
was  undesirable ;  but  it  was  observed  that  every  time  the  crude 
coal-oils,  or  the  heavy  lubricating  oils  made  from  them,  were  dis- 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

tilled,  these  thin,  light-colored  hydro-carbons  were  invariably  pro- 
duced at  first  by  the  distillation,  although  the  oils  in  the  apparatus 
had  been  previously  fractioned  with  great  care. 

This  caused  so  much  loss  of  material,  that  every  endeavor  was 
made  to  prevent  it ;  such  as  surrounding  the  upper  part  of  the  stills 
with  heated  flues,  and  covering  their  tops  with  sand,  or  other  poor 
conductors  of  heat.  But  these  efforts  to  prevent  the  decomposition 
only  served  to  demonstrate  that  any  distillation  of  these  hydro-car- 
bons is  necessarily  destructive,  and  that  the  light  distillates  were 
produced  by  condensation  of  vapors  in  the  upper  part  of  the  distil- 
ling apparatus,  which  falling  back  into  the  body  of  the  heated  fluid, 
to  be  again  raised  in  vapor,  were  thus  decomposed,  with  the  depo- 
sition of  carbon,  into  lighter  and  thinner  hydro-carbons.  Further 
experiments  showed  that  these  hydro-carbons  could  be  so  easily 
decomposed,  that  the  continuous  production  of  light  distillates, 
having  a  specific  gravity  of  about  .818  (42  degrees  Beaume)  was 
effected  from  hydro-carbon  oils  having  a  specific  gravity  of  .880 
(30  degrees  Beaume)  in  an  apparatus  holding  a  thousand  gallons, 
by  properly  regulating  the  heat  applied ;  the  other  products  being 
only  uncondensed  gases,  and  deposited  carbon  left  in  the  apparatus 
at  the  end  of  the  distillation.  These  light  distillates  became  valua- 
ble for  use  in  lamps  some  time  afterward,  and  the  manufacturer's 
difficulty  was  thus  removed;  but  the  unstable  nature  of  these 
hydro-carbons,  and  the  ease  with  which  they  may  be  "  cracked/' 
was  practically  demonstrated  when  endeavoring  to  overcome  an 
annoyance. 

KEROSELENE. — Any  account  of  the  Albertite  products  would 
be  incomplete  without  mention  of  the  lightest  naphtha  obtained 
from  it,  which  was  known  as  "  keroselene."  This  was  made  by 
Mr.  Merrill  in  1857,  just  after  the  first  successful  distillation  of  the 
New  Brunswick  mineral ;  and  it  was  used  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties for  supplying  carburetted  air  or  automatic  gas  machines,  which 
would  have  been  useless  at  that  time  without  this  material.  It 
was  obtained  in  a  crude  condition  by  carefully  refrigerating  the 


HISTOEICAL  DATA.  191 

waste  gases  as  they  passed  from  the  outlets  of  condensers  attached 
to  the  stills  and  retorts ;  this  crude  material,  after  agitation  with 
sulphuric  acid,  was  redistilled  by  steam  heat ;  and  the  exceedingly 
volatile  keroselene,  having  a  specific  gravity  of  only  .634,  and 
which  boiled  at  85  degrees  Fahrenheit,  was  manufactured  in  this 
way. 

Mr.  Merrill  first  noticed  the  anaesthetic  effects  of  keroselene  upon 
a  laborer  engaged  in  cleaning  a  tank  or  cistern  which  had  contained 
it,  at  the  works;  and  afterwards  experimented  further  with  it 
upon  rats  and  mice.  This  discovery  of  its  anesthetic  properties 
was  recorded  in  the  medical  and  surgical  journals  of  that  time,  and 
many  interesting  results  were  obtained  with  it  by  different  mem- 
bers of  the  medical  profession.  • 

PETROLEUM. — I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  record  of  the  dis- 
tillation of  American  petroleum,  taken  from  the  wells,  in  a  large 
way ;  although  it  was  investigated,  and  the  distillates  obtained  in 
the  laboratory  were  burned  experimentally,  quite  early.  But 
Pennsylvania  petroleum  was  not,  probably,  made  into  illuminating 
oil,  for  sale,  before  the  fall  of  1858 ;  although  there  were  fifteen 
establishments  using  petroleum  exclusively,  in  the  United  States, 
by  the  fall  of  1860. 

During  the  years  1858  and  1859,  several  hundred  barrels  of 
petroleum  were  brought  to  Mr.  Merrill  from  surface  wells ;  and, 
on  one  occasion,  a  considerable  quantity  was  sent  to  him  for  distil- 
lation from  the  famous  Tarentum  well  in  Pennsylvania.  And 
afterward  the  heavy  paraffine  oils  and  residuary  products  from 
"Western  establishments,  which  were  considered  valueless  there, 
were  manufactured  into  lubricating  and  illuminating  hydro-carbon 
oils  at  the  works  in  South  Boston.  As  the  supply  from  flowing 
wells  increased,  the  use  of  Albertite,  as  a  source  of  fluid  hydro- 
carbons, gradually  diminished;  although  it  was  not  abandoned 
until  1865. 

After  the  trying  experiences  of  former  years,  no  difficulty  was 
encountered  in  converting  crude  petroleum  into  naphthas,  burning 


192  HISTORY  OP  PETROLEUM. 

oil  (called  kerosene  or  "wax-oil" — a  patent  trade-mark  name), 
lubricating  oil  and  paraffine,  similar  to  those  made  from  coals  and 
bitumens.  Petroleum  breaks  up  into  thin  hydro-carbons,  by  dis- 
tillation, even  more  readily  than  the  Albertite  products ;  and  when 
large  demands  are  made  for  burning  oil,  the  distilling  apparatus  is 
operated  slowly,  or  modified  in  form,  so  that  the  condensed  vapors 
of  the  petroleum,  or  heavy  oils,  obtained  from  it  are  repeatedly 
heated  by  being  returned  into  the  body  of  the  still;  and  in  this 
way  the  yield  of  the  lighter  hydro-carbons  may  be  increased  at 
will,  the  whole  contents  of  the  still  being  converted  into  burning 
oil  when  desirable.  This  principle  is  applied  to  the  immensely 
large  wrought-iron  stills,  holding  two  thousand  barrels,  or  eighty 
thousand  gallons  each,  that  are  now  frequently  used;  they  are 
placed  over  a  number  of  small  fire-places,  with  the  top  and  upper 
part  of  the  stills  exposed  to  the  outside  atmosphere,  for  the  purpose 
of  condensing  and  returning  heavy  vapors  in  the  stills. 

Petroleum  yields,  by  distillation,  nine  distinct  commercial  pro- 
ducts. 


Name.                     Specific  Gravity.               Beaume  Scale.                 Boiling  Poi 
Righolene  ,  &2C  6c°  F 

Gasolene  

....665.. 

85  

...120°    " 

C.  Naphtha  

....706.. 

>  70  

...I900   " 

B.  Naphtha  

....724.. 

67  

...228°    " 

A.  Naphtha  

....742.. 

65  

...3000   " 

Kerosene  Oil  

...  804.. 

45  

...3500   " 

Mineral  Sperm  Oil  

847.. 

36  

...4250   " 

Neutral  Lubricating  Oil. 

883. 

29  

••••'575°  " 

Paraffine..., 

,...848(? 

U. 

Four  of  these  products  are  especially  interesting  and  valuable : 
the  first  is  Righolene.  It  nearly  corresponds  to  the  keroselene  of 
the  Albertite  products,  and  is  an  extremely  volatile  hydro-carbon, 
used  for  producing  local  anaesthesia,  by  its  rapid  evaporation, 
during  short  surgical  operations.  In  1866,  Mr.  Merrill  was  re- 
quested to  make  the  most  volatile  fluid  he  could  produce  from 
petroleum,  by  Dr.  Henry  J.  Bigelow,  the  eminent  surgeon  of 
Boston.  This  was  done  by  redistilling  gasolene,  which  was  the 


HISTORICAL  DATA.  193 

very  lightest  petroleum  naphtha,  by  steam  heat,  and  condensing 
the  first  distillate  by  the  aid  of  ice  and  salt.  In  this  way,  ten  per 
cent,  of  the  gasolene  was  converted  into  the  lightest  of  all  known 
fluids,*  which  was  named  righolene  by  Dr.  Bigelow.  Its  specific 
gravity  is  only  .625,  and  it  boils  at  65  degrees  Fahrenheit.  The 
evaporation  of  this  fluid  is  so  rapid  at  common  temperatures,  that 
it  will  depress  the  mercury  in  a  Fahrenheit  thermometer  to  nine- 
teen degrees  below  zero,  in  twenty  seconds.  Several  hundred 
gallons  of  righolene  have  been  consumed  for  surgical  purposes. 
We  pass  next  to  the  neutral  heavy  lubricating  oil.  At  the  works 
in  South  Boston,  the  production  of  lubricating  oils  has  always 
been  a  specialty,  but  with  petroleum  there  came  a  scarcity  of  heavy 
and  dense  crude  materials  from  which  to  make  these  oils ;  fortu- 
nately, however,  other  manufacturers  of  petroleum,  finding  the  il- 
luminating oil  and  light  products  more  profitable,  have  been  glad 
to  dispose  of  their  heavy  residuum  at  these  works ;  and  the  defi- 
ciency of  material  has  been  supplied  from  this  source. 

The  lubricating  or  paraffine  oils  were  always  characterized  by 
offensive  odors  and  tastes,  so  that  a  person  brought  in  contact  with 
them  became  at  once  aware  of  their  origin ;  and  the  desideratum 
with  manufacturing  chemists,  from  the  earliest  days  of  this  in- 
dustry, has  been  the  production  of  dense  neutral  oils,  or  oils  free 
from  these  offensive  objections.  Much  time  and  study  have  been 
devoted  to  experiments  having  this  object  in  view ;  and  shallow 
stills,  stills  with  double  heads,  repeated  distillations,  different  pro- 
cesses of  purification  by  chemical  agents,  and  many  other  means, 
have  been  tried  without  success.  But  partly  as  the  result  of  an 
accident,  Mr.  Joshua  Merrill  succeeded  in  making  neutral  oils  in 
November,  1867. 

Distillation  had  fairly  commenced,  from  a  still  heated  in  the 
usual  manner,  by  a  direct  fire  underneath,  and  charged  with  nine 
hundred  gallons  of  mixed  heavy  and  light  oils  that  had  been  pre- 

*  Cymogen  is  a  still  lighter  and  more  volatile  product  of  petroleum.    Its  gravity  i» 
0.590=110°    B.    Its  boiling  point  32°  F.    [EDS,] 

13 


194  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

viously  distilled,  and  which  were  too  heavy  for  illuminating,  and 
too  light  for  lubricating  purposes,  when  it  was  found  that  the  con- 
denser had  partially  closed  from  some  accidental  cause ;  and  this, 
by  the  consequent  pressure,  soon  caused  leakage  at  joints  about  the 
bottom  of  the  still,  over  the  fire.  Continued  distillation  increased 
the  leakage,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to  withdraw  the  fire  gradually 
from  under  the  still ;  although  the  distillation  was  continued  for 
some  time  in  an  attempt  to  empty  the  apparatus  by  operating  very 
slowly.  "When  the  fire  was  removed,  and  after  distillation  ceased, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  gallons  of  light  hydro-carbons,  had  passed 
over  through  the  condenser.  The  next  day,  the  oil  left  in  the  still, 
having  cooled  sufficiently,  was  removed;  and  Mr.  Merrill  was'sur- 
prised  to  find  it  different  from  anything  that  he  had  ever  seen 
before.  It  had  a  bright  yellow  color ;  was  clear,  very  nearly  odor- 
less, neutral  and  dense.  Further  experiments  showed  this  result 
to  have  been  obtained  by  the  removal  of  all  light  odorous  hydro-car- 
bons without  decomposing  either  the  distillate  or  the  oils  remaining 
in  the  still,  and  that  this  had  been  accomplished  by  the  moderate 
fire  employed,  and  its  gradual  withdrawal. 

This  mode  of  operating  was  immediately  applied  to  other  dis- 
tillations ;  and,  after  two  months  spent  in  determining  the  best 
mode  of  procedure,  Mr.  Merrill  obtained  letters  patent  for  his 
valuable  discovery,  from  which  extracts  will  be  made  in  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  present  improved  processes  of  manufacturing  petroleum 
products,  at  the  end  of  this  memoir.  This  discovery  consisted, 
first,  in  determining  that  the  odor  and  taste  of  the  heavy  distilled 
oils  arise  from  the  presence  in  them  of  light  and  odorous  hydro- 
carbons, formed  during  the  previous  and  necessarily  destructive 
distillations  ;  and  that  when  these  are  removed  by  distilling  in  a 
suitable  apparatus,  with  the  application  of  only  sufficient  heat  to 
remove  them,  withoutjlecomposing  or  cracking  the  oils  in  the  still, 
the  latter  are  left  nearly  odorless.  And,  secondly,  in  perfecting 
the  means  for  .effecting  this  removal  of  the  odorous  bodies.  The 
introduction  ,of  ateam  from  an  open  pipe  to  the  body  of  the  ap- 


HISTORICAL  DATA.  195 

paratus  during  this  distillation,  aids  greatly  in  effecting  the  separa- 
tion, as  it  lifts  the  light  vapors  out  mechanically  into  the  con- 
denser ;  and  it  also  serves  to  regulate  the  heat  employed  for  dis- 
tillation. 

Thus,  by  extraordinary  means,  true  fractional  distillation  of  the 
heavy  mixed  oils  is  effected  ;  and  Mr.  Merrill  says  :  "  I  believe  it 
is  impossible  to  prevent  the  cracking  or  decomposition  of  these  hy- 
dro-carbon oils,  except  by  keeping  them  in  the  still,  at  temperatures 
below  their  boiling  points/' 

Many  hundred  thousand  gallons  of  this  neutral  heavy  hydro- 
carbon oil,  which  has  frequently  perplexed  the  most  expert  judges 
and  dealers  in  oils,  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Merrill.  It  is  almost 
odorless  and  tasteless,  and  cannot  be  easily  distinguished  when 
mixed  with  one-fifth  part  of  its  volume  of  the  best  bleached 
animal,  sperm  or  other  fat  oil,  as  an  examination  of  this  specimen 
will  assure  you.  No  better  estimate  of  its  valuable  qualities  can 
be  given  than  the  statement  that,  in  the  year  1871,  fifty  thou- 
sand gallons  of  this  oil  were  sent  to  England  alone,  where  it 
was  used  for  lubricating  spindles,  oiling  wood  and  other  pur- 
poses. Another  important  substance  obtained  from  petroleum  is 

PABAFFINE. — This  was  one  of  the  very  first  products  made  at  the 
works  in  South  Boston,  in  the  early  days :  and  it  is  interesting  to 
know,  that  while  Cuban  chapapote  bitumen  yielded  paraffine  by 
distillation,  and  Albertite  gave  large  quantities  of  it,  the  Trinidad 
bitumen  never  afforded  any  of  this  crystalline  mineral  wax.  Mr. 
Merrill  began  to  make  paraffine  from  Pennsylvania  petroleum  in 
1859,  and  since  then  has,  at  times,  made  the  enormous  quantity  of 
fifty  thousand  pounds  (or  twenty-five  tons),  in  one  month.  It  is 
a  product  of  destructive  distillation  of  this  petroleum,  and  does  not 
exist  already  formed  in  the  crude  oil. 

This  substance  is  used  principally  in  candles,  also  for  rendering 
textile  fabrics  water-proof,  and  for  many  other  purposes ;  as  one 
maker  of  friction-matches  in  New  York  has  used  one  hundred 


196  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

thousand  pounds,  and  a  manufacturer  of  chewing-gum  in  Maine 
seventy  thousand  pounds,  of  paraffine  in  one  year. 

MINERAL  SPERM-OIL. — The  fourth  product  to  which  I  wish 
to  draw  your  attention  is  mineral  sperm-oil.  This  is  a  burning 
heavy  oil  made  from  petroleum ;  and  its  valuable  properties  as  a 
safe  illuminating  agent  are  such  as  to  render  this  product  one  of 
very  great  importance.  The  following  statement  of  its  discovery 
and  characters  is  given  in  Mr.  Joshua  Merrill's  own  words : 

"  In  the  summer  of  1869,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Rufus  S.  Mer- 
rill, I  made  an  important  discovery  relating  to  burning  the  heavy 
or  paraffine  oils  in  lamps,  for  illuminating  purposes.  Mr.  R.  S. 
Merrill  is  a  skillful  mechanic,  who  has  devoted  himself  for  several, 
years  to  perfecting  the  construction  of  lamps  and  burners  for  hydro- 
carbon oils.  While  experimenting  upon  an  apparatus  for  burning 
paraffine  wax,  with  a  view  to  increase  the  light  from  this  beautiful 
substance  over  that  obtained  from  common  candles — the  only  form 
in  which  paraffine  is  burned — he  one  day  put  some  lubricating  oil 
into  the  lamp,  instead  of  the  paraffine  wax,  and  we  were  both  much 
surprised  at  the  good  qualities  of  the  light  yielded  by  it.  But, 
after  examining  some  days,  we  found  this  heavy  oil  to  be  impracti- 
cable as  an  illuminating  material  in  its  present  form,  and  that  some 
modification  would  be  necessary.  It  occurred  to  me,  that  if  this 
heavy  paraffine  oil  was  passed  through  a  partially  destructive  dis- 
tillation, cracking  it  enough  to  lessen  its  viscidity,  but  not  enough 
to  render  it  volatile,  its  increased  mobility  would  cause  it  to  ascend 
the  wicks  freely,  and  yet  preserve  its  character  as  a  fixed  oil. 

"  After  many  trials,  I  obtained  the  product  now  called  '  mineral 
sperm-oil/  which  is  sufficiently  thin  to  fill  the  wicks  perfectly;  but 
it  is  so  far  from  being  a  volatile  oil  that  it  is  comparatively  inodor- 
ous, and  will  not  take  fire  at  any  temperature  below  300  degrees 
Fahrenheit,  or  nearly  a  Jiundred  degrees  hotter  than  boiling  water. 
Flames  of  considerable  size,  such  as  a  large  ball  of  wicking-yarn, 
saturated  with  oil,  and  ignited,  when  plunged  beneath  the  surface 
of  this  oil,  previously  heated  to  the  temperature  of  boiling  water, 


HISTORICAL  DATA.  197 

are  extinguished  at  once.  It  burns  freely  in  the  German  student 
lamps,  and  with  great  brilliancy  from  the  '  Dual '  burner." 

The  manufacture  of  this  oil  is  patented  in  this  country  and  in 
Great  Britain ;  and  Mr.  Merrill  estimates  the  quantity  that  may 
be  made  as  at  least  one-quarter  of  the  whole  production  of  petro- 
leum, or  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  gallons  of  mineral 
sperm-oil  every  day — a  quantity  more  than  twice  that  of  the  whale 
and  sperm  oils  obtained  in  the  best  days  of  the  whale  fishery  of  this 
country. 

The  present  time,  when  government  authorities  and  scientific 
men  are  so  generally  cautioning  against  the  "dangers  of  kerosene," 
and  just  as  French  savans  have  discovered  that  certain  heavy 
petroleum  oils  may  be  burned  in  lamps,*  seems  peculiarly  oppor- 
tune for  the  introduction  of  this  product  of  American  skill  and 
invention — namely,  a  hydro-carbon,  or  mixture  of  hydro-carbons, 
which  seems  to  fulfil  all  the  requirements  of  an  oU  to  be  burned  in 
lamps,  yielding  a  steady,  brilliant  and  safe  light.  And  practical 
indications  of  its  appreciation  may  be  found  in  the  manufacturer's 
announcement,  that  the  demands  for  this  mineral  sperm-oil  is 
steadily  increasing.  It  is  used  on  ocean  steamers  plying  between 
the  United  States  and  Europe,  and  also  on  several  railroads. 

MANUFACTURE  OF  PETROLEUM  PRODUCTS. — It  only  remains 
for  me  to  give  you  a  brief  outline  of  the  manufacture  of  petroleum 
products,  as  conducted  at  a  well-managed  establishment  in  this 
vicinity. 

The  crude  petroleum  is  received  here  from  the  "West  in  round 
wooden  tanks,  one  or  two  of  which  occupy  a  railway  carriage,  as 
you  have  undoubtedly  observed  them  on  the  neighboring  railroad ; 
and  these  are  sometimes  emptied  into  bulk-boats,  when  the  works 
are  more  easily  approached  by  water.  The  petroleum  is  pumped 
out  and  underground  into  the  iron  reservoir  tanks  that  closely  re- 
semble gasometers,  where  any  sand  and  water  that  may  be  present 
are  deposited  and  removed.  The  crude  oil,  drawn  from  these 

*  Comptes  Eendu's  de  1'Acad.  des  Sciences,  July,  1871 


198  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

reservoirs,  is  first  pumped  into  large  wrought-iron  stills  or  upright 
cylinders,  incased  in  wood  to  prevent  loss  of  heat,  which  hold  about 
twelve  thousand  gallons  each.  These  are  the  naphtha  stills,  in 
which  the  petroleum  is  heated  by  steam  alone ;  the  distillates  being 
collected  by  condensers,  consisting  of  iron  pipes  surrounded  with 
cold  water.  Only  the  naphthas,  or  about  fifteen  per  cent,  of  the 
crude  oil,  are  distilled  from  these  large  stills ;  but  the  four  kinds 
(gasolene,  A,  B  and  C  naphtha)  are  collected  in  different  recepta- 
cles. Bigholene,  as  stated  before,  is  made  by  a  second  distillation 
of  gasolene. 

The  steamed  crude  oil  remaining  in  the  naphtha  stills  is  pumped 
from  them  into  smaller  stills  heated  by  direct  fires  underneath,  and 
holding  about  a  thousand  gallons  each  ;  the  whole  contents  of  these 
are  distilled  over  and  condensed,  excepting  that  which  passes  into 
the  air  as  uncondensable  gas,  and  the  separated  carbon.  This  is  the 
first  complete  distillation,  and  it  is  eminently  destructive ;  the  pro- 
ducts being  separated,  by  densities,  into  three  grades — No.  1,  crude 
burning  oil ;  No.  2,  intermediate  oils ;  and  No.  3,  crude  lubricating 
oil.  Each  of  these  is  redistilled  by  itself  in  apparatus  of  the  same 
size  and  construction  as  that  used  for  the  first  distillation,  and  they 
all  break  up  again  into  lighter,  intermediate  and  heavy  oils.  No.  1 
is  thoroughly  agitated  with  sulphuric  acid  and  caustic  soda  success- 
ively, by  revolving  stirrers  in  large  tanks,  before  its  second  distilla- 
tion ;  and  it  then  yields  from  the  still,  eighty  per  cent,  of  its  volume 
of  finished  kerosene  and  mineral  sperm,  and  nearly  twenty  per 
cent,  of  denser  oil.  No.  2  is  redistilled  before  treatment  with  acid 
and  alkali;  it  yields  crude  lubricating  oil  principally.  No.  3,  the 
crude  lubricating  oil,  requires  more  careful  manipulation  than 
either  of  the  others.  It  is  first  agitated  with  sulphuric  acid,  and 
then  distilled  with  caustic  soda  present  in  the  still,  the  product 
being  mostly  dense  parafnne  oil.  This  is  placed  in  wooden  barrels, 
in  ice-houses,  where  it  remains  for  from  seven  to  ten  days ;  and  du- 
ring this  time  the  paraifine  wax  crystallizes,  so  that  the  masses  re- 
tain the  form  of  the  barrels  when  they  are  removed.  It  is  now 


HISTORICAL  DATA.  199 

put  into  bags  made  of  strong  cloth,  which  are  arranged  one  above 
another,  with  sheets  of  iron  between  them ;  and,  when  submitted  to 
heavy  pressure,  it  yields  crude  scale-paraffine  wax  remaining  in  the 
bags,  and  heavy  oil  is  pressed  out.  The  crude  paraffine  is  refined 
by  repeated  solution  in  naphtha,  recrystallizing  and  pressing  until  it 
is  perfectly  white  and  pure,  ready  for  sale.  The  heavy  oil  is  treated 
by  the  patent  deodorizing  process.  It  is  placed  in  stills  heated  by 
fires  underneath ;  and  the  temperature  is  slowly  and  gradually 
raised,  until  from  twenty  to  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  contents  of  the  4 
apparatus  is  distilled  over ;  it  is  then  allowed  to  cool  in  the  stills, 
and  when  removed,  is  ready  for  sale.  The  hydro-carbons  that  pass 
over  to  the  condensers  during  this  process  have  very  offensive 
odors ;  but  the  oil  remaining  in  the  stills,  if  the  operation  has  been 
properly  conducted,  is  free  from  the  characteristic  odor  of  paraifine 
oil,  and  has  only  a  slight  odor,  similar  to  that  #f  fat  oil.  Live 
steam  is  generally  used  in  the  body  of  the  oil  during  this  operation, 
and  the  distillation  is  effected  at  as  low  a  temperature  as  possible. 

The  very  last  distillates  that  are  obtained  from  all  the  destruc- 
tive distillation  made  at  the  works  are  highly  colored,  and  known 
technically  as  "  cokings ;"  these  -are  accumulated  and  distilled  by 
themselves,  yielding  crude  lubricating  oil  principally.  After  every 
distillation  of  petroleum,  or  the  products  obtained  from  it,  consid- 
erable masses  of  separated  carbon  are  obtained  as  residuum ;  and, 
as  caustic  soda  is  frequently  used  in  the  apparatus,  it  remains  in 
this  coke ;  this  is  saved,  however,  by  burning  the  carbon  in  a  pro- 
perly-constructed fire-place  ;  and  the  ashes  lixiviated  yield  the  soda 
as  carbonate.  The  sulphuric  acid  that  has  been  agitated  with  the 
oils,  known  technically  as  "  sludge,"  is  carefully  saved,  and  gene- 
rally sold  to  makers  of  biphosphate  of  lime  fertilizers,  although  some 
of  it  has  been  successfully  reconverted  into  commercial  oil  of  vit- 
riol by  an  ingenious  process  that  I  need  not  detain  you  to  describe. 

I  have  thus  hastily  reviewed  the  history  and  modus  operandi  of 
an  important  manufacture,  in  the  belief  that  some  parts  of  this  me- 
moir are  new  and  of  general  interest. 


200  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


GAS  WELLS. 


PENNSYLVANIA,  OHIO,  NEW  YOEK,  KENTUCKY. 

CARBU RETTED  hydrogen  is  the  chief  component  of  the  gas 
which  escapes  from  the  earth  in  wells  and  springs  in  many  locali- 
ties. It  is  evolved  in  the  working  of  coal  mines,  and  constitutes 
"  fire  damp."  It  is  also  a  constant  associate  of  petroleum,  and  al- 
ways issues  in  greater  or  less  quantity  from  oil  wells.  It  is  given 
off,  too,  in  the  decomposition  of  recent  vegetable  matter,  and  may 
be  seen  bubbling  up  through  the  water  of  all  pools  in  which  plants 
are  decaying.  When  it  escapes  from  the  earth  it  may  be  generally 
traced  to  beds  of  bituminous  matter,  such  as  coal,  lignite,  carbona- 
ceous shale,  asphalt,  oil,  etc.  From  these  substances  it  may  be 
obtained  by  artificial  distillation,  and  is  evolved  by  the  spontaneous 
decomposition  which  all  organic  substances  suffer  on  exposure. 

As  carburetted  hydrogen  produces  a  brilliant  light  in  combus- 
tion, it  is  largely  manufactured  and  used  for  the  illumination  of 
cities  and  residences.  So  extensively  is  it  employed  for  this  pur- 
pose that  it  may  he  regarded  as  an  indispensable  element  in  our 
modern  civilization.  It  is  not  strange,  then,  that  efforts  have  been 
made  to  utilize  the  immense  quantities  of  gas  which  flow  from 
wells  and  springs  in  so  many  different  countries.  The  Chinese 
have  for  hundreds  of  years  used  for  lighting  and  heating,  the  gas 
which  emanates  from  the  earth  in  several  provinces  of  their  coun- 
try. In  the  United  States  the  gas  which  issues  from  the  salt  wells 
of  the  Kanawha  Valley  has  been  for  many  years  employed  as  a 
fuel  in  the  evaporation  of  the  brine. 


GAS   WELLS.  201 

Of  course  the  oil  wells  of  Pennsylvania  produce  gas,  and  often 
in  very  great  abundance,  and  it  occasionally  occurs,  that  wells 
drilled  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  oil,  produced  only  gas.  On 
newly  developed  territory  the  sight  to  be  witnessed  at  night  in  the 
many  illuminations  from  this  natural  gas,  is  truly  grand,  causing 
the  heavens  to  be  lighted  up,  and  the  earth  to  be  spread  abroad  with 
a  brightness  equal  to  the  best  artificial  illumination  of  any  modern 
city.  To  the  reflecting  observer  the  sight  will  prompt  him  to  look 
from  "  nature  up  to  nature's  God." 

The  village  of  Fredonia,  in  western  New  York,  has  for  more 
than  forty  years  been  fully  or  partially  lighted  by  gas  which  issues 
from  springs  at  that  place.  In  the  borings  made  for  oil  in  the  va- 
rious oil  districts  of  the  Western  States,  the  gas  which  has  been 
produced  so  abundantly  has  been  regarded  as  a  useless,  frequently 
inconvenient  and  dangerous  product.  Within  a  year  or  two  past, 
however,  this  gas  has  been  utilized  in  numerous  localities^  and  al- 
ready a  large  number  of  wells  have  been  bored  for  the  express 
purpose  of  obtaining  it.  In  some  cases  these  gas  wells  have  been 
highly  productive,  furnishing  an  abundance  of  material  for  heating 
and  lighting  in  its  most  convenient  and  manageable  form,  so  that 
this  deserves  to  be  reckoned  as  one  of  the  important  elements  in  the 
mineral  resources  of  our  country.  As  this  method  of  procuring 
carburetted  hydrogen  gas  forms  a  new  industry,  and  one  which 
will  probably  assume  considerable  importance,  a  few  words  in  re- 
ference to  its  present  condition  and  prospects  may  not  be  without 
interest  to  the  public.  We  therefore  extract  from  our  notes  a  few 
facts  in  regard  to  some  of  the  most  interesting  of  our  gas-producing 
districts.  On  the  Upper  Cumberland,  in  Kentucky,  gas  accumu- 
lates in  such  quantities  beneath  the  sheets  of  Lower  Silurian  lime- 
stone, that  many  hundred  tons  of  rock  and  earth  are  sometimes 
blown  out  with  great  violence.  These  explosions  have  received  the 
local  name  of  "  gas  volcanoes."  In  Ohio,  gas  escapes  from  nearly 
all  the  wells  bored  for  oil  in  the  oil-producing  districts.  Of  these, 
two  bored  by  Peter  Neff)  Esq.,  near  Kenyon  College,  in  Knox 


202 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


county,  present  some  remarkable  features.  These  wells  were  boivj 
in  1866,  at  the  same  geological  horizon  as  that  which  furnishes  the 
oil  on  Oil  Creek,  Pa.  At  the  depth  of  about  600  feet,  in  each 
well,  a  fissure  was  struck  from  which  gas  issued  in  such  volume 
as  to  throw  out  the  boring  tools,  and  form  a  jet  of  water  more  than 
100  feet  in  height.  One  of  these  wells  has  been  tubed  so  as  to  ex- 
clude the  water,  and  gas  has  continued  for  five  years  to  escape  from 
it  in  such  quantity  as  to  produce,  as  it  rushes  through  a  two  and-a- 
half-inch  pipe,  a  sound  that  may  be  heard  a  considerable  distance. 
When  ignited,  the  gas  forms  a  jet  of  flame  three  feet  in  diameter 
and  fifteen  feet  long.  The  other  well,  which  has  never  been  tubed, 
constantly  ejects,  at  intervals  of  one  minute  the  water  that  fills  it. 
It  thus  forms  an  intermittent  fountain,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  in  height.  The  derrick  set  over  this  well  has  a  height  of  sixty 
feet.  In  winter  it  becomes  encased  in  ice,  and  forms  a  huge  trans- 
lucent chimney,  through  which  at  regular  intervals  of  one  minute, 
a  mingled  current  of  gas  and  water  rushes  to  twice  its  height.  By 
cutting  through  this  chimney  at  its  base  and  igniting  the  gas  in  a 
paroxysm,  it  affords  a  magnificent  spectacle — a  fountain  of  water 
and  fire  which  brilliantly  illuminates  the  ice  chimney.  No  accu- 
rate measurement  has  been  made  of  the  gas  escaping  from  these 
wells,  but  it  is  estimated  to  be  sufficient  to  light  a  large  city. 

At  West  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.,  is  another  gas  well,  not  unlike  those 
described.  This  is  bored  to  the  depth  of  five  hundred  feet,  reach- 
ing down  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Marcellus  bituminous  shales.  From 
some  measurements  made  by  Prof.  Wurtz,  it  appears  that  about 
fifteen  cubic  feet  of  gas  escaped  from  this  well  every  second.  It  is 
proposed  to  utilize  this  large  amount  of  valuable  combustible  by 
conducting  it  through  pipes  to  Rochester,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles. 

At  Erie,  Pa.,  there  are  now  twenty-five  wells  in  successful  opera- 
tion, most  of  which  have  been  bored  for  the  special  purpose  of 
obtaining  gas. 

FIRST.  H.  Jarecki  &  Co.  (Petroleum   Brass  Works)  have  two 


GAS   WELLS.  203 

wells ;  the  first  bored  for  oil  in  1854,  1,200  feet  deep.  No  oil  was 
obtained,  but  brackish  water  and  an  abundant  supply  of  gas. 

At  Conneaut  and  Painesville,  Ohio,  wells  have  been  bored  for 
gas  with  entire  success,  and  others  are  being  bored,  in  these  locali- 
ties, and  at  many  points  farther  west. 

Of  two  of  the  Painesville  wells,  a  few  notes  may  be  of  interest 
to  the  residents  of  the  lake  shore.  First,  is  the  well  of  Gen.  Case- 
ment on  the  east  side  of  the  town.  This  well  is  700  feet  deep,  and 
passed  through  the  following  materials  : 

One — Drift,  clay  and  gravel,  40  feet. 

Two — Erie  shale,  "  soapstone  rock,"  648  feet. 

Three — Huron  shale,  very  black  and  bituminous,  with  strong 
smell  of  oil,  12  feet. 

Gas  was  found  in  the  Erie  shale.  The  supply  is  abundant,  and 
is  used  for  all  domestic  purposes  in  Gen.  Casement's  house.  The 
pressure  of  the  gas  was  tried ;  but  at  27  pounds  per  square  inch 
part  of  the  apparatus  failed. 

SECOND. — Well  at  the  Erie  Seminary,  725  feet  deep  at  the  time 
of  observation.  Strata  passed  through — 

One — Clay  and  sand,  23  feet. 

Two — Erie  shales,  alternations  of  sandy  and  argillaceous  gray 
and  green  shales,  687  feet. 

Three — Huron  shale,  black  and  bituminous,  15  feet. 

The  gas  was  found  in  the  fissures  or  crevices  of  the  "  soapstone 
rock."  In  the  seminary  well  four  such  fissures  were  found.  The 
first  gas  was  obtained  at  300  feet. 

Another  well  at  the  seminary  is  of  similar  character.  The  sup- 
ply of  gas  from  both  wells  is  insufficient  to  light  and  heat  the 
building.  If  collected  in  .a  gasometer,  it  would  at  least  supply  all 
the  light  required. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland,  as  in  many  other  localities  in  the 
eastern  half  of  the  state,  gas  and  oil  springs  are  frequently  met 
with,  and  many  wells  have  been  bored  for  one  or  the  other  of  these 
useful  articles.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  there  are  two  marked  lines  of 


204 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


gas  and  oil  springs,  connected  with  the  outcrops  of  the  two  sheets 
of  bituminous  shale  which  underlie  the  surface.  First,  the  Cleve- 
land shale  of  Lower  Carboniferous  age,  which  crops  out  along  the 
base  of  the  hills  that  bound  the  "Cuyahoga  Valley.  This  bitumi- 
nous shale  is  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  the  source 
of  the  oil  of  the  East  Cleveland  and  Kingsbury  quarries,  the  noted 
gas  spring  at  the  brick-yard  beyond  East  Cleveland,  etc.  The  oil 
of  Mecca  and  Liverpool  is  derived  from  the  Cleveland  shale. 
Second,  the  Huron  or  Great  Black  Shale,  which  passes  beneath 
Cleveland,  and  rising  westward  comes  to  the  surface  in  Huron  and 
Erie  -counties,  and  forms  a  broad  belt  of  outcrop,  thence  to  the 
Ohio  river.  The  Huron  shale  has  a  thickness  of  300  to  400  feet, 
mostly  black  and  highly  bituminous,  and  is  the  source  from  which 
the  gas  of  the  Neff  wells  and  the  well  on  the  lake  shore,  and  the 
oil  of  Oil  Creek  are  derived.  In  the  valley  of  the  Cuyahoga,  in 
both  Cuyahoga  and  Summit  counties,  a  large  number  of  wells  were 
bored  for  oil  some  years  since.  Most  of  these  yielded  both  gas  and 
oil,  but  neither  in  large  quantity.  From  a  similar  well  in  the  val- 
ley of  Rocky  river  a  copious  flow  of  gas  has  continued  to  escape 
for  several  years.  Of  the  wells  recently  bored  in  this  vicinity,  a 
brief  notice  may  perhaps  be  of  interest  to  the  people  of  Cleveland. 
First,  well  at  mouth  of  Kingsbury  run,  bored  by  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  for  water.  The  depth  of  this  well  is  1,005  feet.  The 
well  head  is  about  ten  feet  above  the  river.  Before  reaching  the 
rock,  238  feet  of  clay,  with  partings  of  sand  and  gravel,  were  passed 
through.  The  rock  penetrated  was  gray  and  black  shale.  Some 
water  and  gas  flow  from  this  well,  but  neither  in  large  quantity. 

Second,  well  bored  by  the  gas  company,  at  the  gas  works  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  well  head  about  fifteen  feet  above  the  lake. 
This  well  is  835  feet  deep.  The  rock  was  reached  at  116  feet,  the 
overlaying  material  being  mainly  blue  clay,  with  sheets  of  quick- 
sand and  gravel.  The  rock  passed  through  consisted  of  alternations 
of  gray  and  black  shale.  Gas  was  obtained  at  several  points,  but 
not  in  remunerative  quantity. 


GAS   WELLS.  205 

Third,  well  bored  by  Captain  Spaulding  between  Cleveland  and 
Rocky  river.  This  well -began  about  100  feet  above  the  lake.  At 
the  date  .of  my  visitation,  it  had  been  sunk  to  the  depth  of  715  feet. 
It  passed  through, 

1.  Sand  and  clay,  12  feet. 

2.  Erie  shale,  gray  argillaceous  shale,  with  bands  of  sandstone, 
400  feet. 

3.  Black  shale,  with  thinner  bands  of  gray  Huron  shale,  303 
feet.     In  this  well  gas  was  obtained  at  several  horizons,  and  the 
quantity  is  sufficient  to  light  a  number  of  houses. 

In  the  city  of  Erie  there  are  some  thirty  gas- wells.  These  wells 
are  for  the  most  part  drilled  to  a  depth  of  from  500  to  700  feet. 
The  shale  is  here  reached  at  the  depth  of  from  30  to  40  feet,  and 
extends  below  any  depth  yet  reached  by  the  drill,  and  is  com- 
posed of  alternate  gray,  and  black  layers  or  veins — the  gas  being 
found  only  in  the  latter.  The  gas  from  a  portion  of  the  wells  here 
furnishes  fuel  to  three  steam  flour  mills,  the  city  water  works,  an 
oil  refinery,  two  machine  shops,  a  car  manufactory,  and  four  or  five 
other  steam  works.  The  City  Gas  Company  also  have  a  well,  and 
use  a  mixture  of  natural  and  manufactured  gas  for  the  use  of  the  city. 

At  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  a  well  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  640  feet,  when 
a  large  vein  of  gas  was  struck.  The  volume  of  uprising  gas  showed 
a  presence  of  130  pounds  to  the  inch.  This  gas  is  of  remarkable 
purity. 

At  Cumberland,  Maryland,  a  company  started  what  they  in- 
tended to  be  an  oil  well.  Gas  was  struck,  and  soon  afterwards  was 
accidentally  set  on  fire,  and  continued  to  burn  for  a  period  of  two 
years.  A  Mr.  Haworth,  having  heard  of  the  burning  well,  went 
to  Cumberland,  tested  the  quality  of  the  gas,  and  was  satisfied  that 
he  could  put  in  operation  a  scheme  or  plan  of  his  own,  for  the 
manufacture  of  carbon  from  the  gas.  The  well  was  leased,  and  a 
patent  obtained  for  the  manufacture  of  carbon  from  the  gas.  Mr. 
Haworth  has  now  in  operation  660  burners,  each  burner  consuming 
eight  cubic  feet  of  gas  per  hour.  The  gas  is  allowed  to  burn 


206 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


against  soapstone  plates,  on  which  the  carbon  is  deposited  in  the 
shape  of  soot. 

The  carbon  is  used  for  the  manufacture  of  ink,  and  these  works, 
we  believe,  are  the  only  ones  of  the  kind  in  the  country. 

Some  six  miles  east  of  Crab  Orchard,  in  Lincoln  county,  Ky., 
there  is  a  spring  known  as  the  "Burning  Well/7  situated  at  the 
very  base  of  the  Cumberland  mountains,  on  the  banks  of  a  small 
stream  called  Dix  river.  The  water  in  this  well  is  in  a  constant 
state  of  ebullition,  and  regularly,  every  day,  between  four  and  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  overflows.  A  large  quantity  of  gas  is 
liberated,  said  to  be  carburetted  hydrogen  gas,  to  which  a  light 
being  applied,  a  flame,  sometimes  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in  height, 
results.  The  only  peculiar  feature  of  this  well  is  the  diurnal  and 
infallibly  regular  overflow. 


REMARKABLE  GAS  WELL  AT  FAIRVIEW,  PA. 

.  In  June,  1872,  a  well  was  drilled  about  two  miles  from  Fair- 
view,  Butler  County,  Penna.,  to  a  depth  of  1335  feet,  for  oil,  and 
was  abandoned  on  account  of  the  strong  flow  of  gas  and.  salt  water ; 
so  great  was  the  flow  of  gas  that  the  boiler  had  to  be  removed  to  a 
distance  of  twenty-five  rods.  After  the  well  was  abandoned  some 
two  months,  the  pressure  of  gas  became  so  strong  that  it  forced  the 
water  entirely  out  of  the  hole,  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year 
a  company  was  formed  to  utilize  the  gas,  which  was  done  by  bring- 
ing it  through  a3J-inchcasing  to  Fairview,  a.nd  thence  to  Petrolia, 
three  miles  from  Fairview.  The  gas  is  used  to  light- the  streets 
and  heat  residences  and  offices  in  both  places.  The  pressure,  as  in- 
dicated on  a  steam  gauge,  is  80  pounds.  This  well  has  an  escape 
through  a  6-inch  pipe,  and  the  noise  of  the  escaping  gas,  can  be 
heard  readily  for  a  distance  of  two  miles. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Titusville  Herald  under  date  of  Septem- 


GAS   WELLS.  207 

ber  3r  1873,  gives  the  following  graphic  account  of  this  remarkable 
gas  well : — 

"  The  roar  of  the  escaping  fluid  was  equal  to  the  sound  of  Nia- 
gara, and  the  iron  tools  that  had  penetrated  1335  feet  of  solid  rock 
were  raised,  and  tossed  in  the  hole  with  as  much  ease  as  a  skiff  is 
rocked  upon  the  surface  of  an  angry  ocean  ;  so  strong  was  the  gas- 
giant  that  one  man  might  have  helped  the  tools  out  of  the  well 
without  the  aid  of  an  engine.  A  man  might  throw  a  one  hundred 
pound  rock  into  the  escaping  column,  and  it  would  be  thrown  with 
ease  tp  the  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  the"  air ;  an  ordinary  club 
might  be  launched  into  the  upward  stream,  and  it  would  be  toyed 
with  as  a  fountain  jet  toys  with  a  marble.  It  would  raise  a  club 
seventy-five  or  eighty  feet  in  the  air,  and  when  it  would  begin  to 
descend  it  would  be  elevated  again  until  it  would  escape  the  centre 
of  the  current,  and  then  return  to-  the  ground.  The  voice  of  this 
giant  can  be  heard  for  five  miles  distinctly,  and  it  sounds  like  the 
approach  of  a  train  of  cars  on  the  railroad,  or  like  the  sound  of  a 
brake  when  letting  down  tools  into  a  1500  foot  well.  In  the  hole 
is  a  little  salt  water,  just  enough  to  make  the  gas  appear  like  blue 
smoke.  The  water,  under  the  force  of  the  gas,  is  formed  into  a 
mist,  and  on  approaching  the  well,  appears  like  a  column  of  smoke 
rising  out  of  the  valley,  but  '  woe  be  unto  him '  who  touches  a 
match  in  this  giant's  face,  for  his  breath  is  explosive,  and  would, 
when  lit,  make  heat  enough  to  melt  iron. 

"  For  a  few  weeks  this  well  blew,  and  howled,  and  whistled, 
making  night  hideous  and  day  tedious  with  its  ceaseless  'yells/ 
until  the  arms  of  science  opened  to  receive  the  wasting  fuel.  A 
twenty-horse  power  boiler  was  stationed  near  the  well  and  con- 
nected to  receive  it ;  to  the  boiler  was  connected  a  three-and-a-half 
inch  tubing,  which  was  laid  for  seven  miles  to  Fairview,  Petrolia, 
Karns  City,  and  Argyle ;  to  this  seven  miles  of  pipe  are  attached 
forty  pumping  and  'drilling  wells,  eight  pump  stations  and  different 
pipe  lines,  two  hundred  gas  burners,  and  forty  cook  stoves,  all  of 
which  burn  the  gas  from  this  well.  But  they  do  not  use  it  all.  The 


208  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

well  is  only  a  five-and-a-half  inch  hole,  but  the  waste  pipe  is  a 
five  and  five-eighth  inch  casing,  which  fairly  rings  with  the  pressure 
of  the  escaping  waste  gas." 


NEWTON  GAS  WELL,  NEAE  TITUSVILLE,  PA. 

Nearly  all  wells  producing  oil,  yield  small  amounts  of  gas, 
which  is  often  found  in  quantities  large  enough  to  make  it  availa- 
ble as  fuel  for  boiler  fires ;  but  wells,  producing  large  quantities  of 
gas  unaccompanied  by  oil,  are  comparatively  rare.  We  have  in- 
stanced a  few  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  would  here 
make  mention  of  one  quite  famous  well  of  this  sort,  at  the  mouth 
of  East  Sandy  Creek,  hereafter  described,  and  another  at  Stewart's 
Run,  both  in  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region.  But  the  most  re- 
markable gas^well  yet  discovered  is  the  Newton  well  on  the  A.  H. 
Nelson  farm,  five  and  one-fourth  miles  northeast  of  Titusville. 
This  well  is  the  second  one  drilled  in  this  vicinity, — the  first  sunk 
in  the  fall  of  1871,  proved  a  dry  hole.  The  usual  strata  of  rock 
found  in  this  region,  were  passed  through  in  drilling,  and  there 
was  no  indication  of  oil,  and  but  slight  signs  of  gas,  during  the 
process  of  boring. 

This  well  is  drilled  to  the  depth  of  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  feet,  and  was  finished  on  the  llth  of  May,  1872.  A  few 
minutes  after  the  pump  was  set  in  motion  the  flow  of  gas  com- 
menced throwing  up  the  fluid  as  fast  as  a  two  and  a-half  inch  outlet 
would  allow  it.  Soon  the  water  was  exhausted  and  the  gas  rushed 
out  with  a  deafening  noise,  and  with  terrible  force.  The  well  was 
at  this  time  tubed  only  to  the  second  sand-rock,  a  depth  of  seven 
hundred  and  five  feet.  The  casing  was  now  lowered  below  the 
second,  and  the  tubing  to  the  third  sand-rocl^  and  pumping  re- 
sumed, with  about  the  same  pressure  from  the  third  sand-rock,  as 
from  the  second,  but  showing  a  difference  in  the  quality  of  the 


GAS  WELLS.  209 

gas,  it  being  much  purer  and  of  higher  illuminating  power.  On 
the  24th  of  June,  the  casing  was  removed  and  placed  above  the 
first  sand-rock,  leaving  all  the  gas  veins  open  below  the  casing.  A 
sand-pump  was  then  run  down  a  few  times  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
hausting the  water,  and  agitating  the  well,  so  as  to  permit  the  gas 
to  flow  the  more  freely.-  On  putting  down  the  sand  pump  for  the 
fourth  time,  the  gas  again  rushed  up,  carrying  the  sand  pump  and 
line  with  it,  faster  than  steam  power  could  be  made  to  draw  it  out; 
and  for  several  minutes  the  well  discharged  a  column  of  water  to 
a  height  of  at  least  one  hundred  feet,  making  a  splendid  sight,  and 
a  noise  which  is ,  said  to  have  been  heard  for  a  distance  of  ten 
miles. 

As  soon  as  possible  the  gas  was  divided  into  seven  two-inch  jets, 
one  of  which  was  sufficient  to  run  the  engine,  the  gauge  showing  a 
pressure  of  75  Ibs.  to  the  square  inch.  Calculations,  as  accurate  as 
it  is  possible  to  make,  showed  a  total  pressure  of  not  far  from  350 
Ibs.  to  the  square  inch,  and  a  flow  of  more  than  500,000  cubic  feet  of 
gas  per  day.  Each  day  the  volume  of  gas  seemed  to  increase  and 
then  occurred  to  some  capitalists,  the  feasibility  of  carrying  the  gas 
to  Titusville  to  supply  the  many  manufacturing  firms  and  private 
families  with  it. as  fuel,  and  to  this  end  the  well  was  purchased  by 
Henry  Hinckley,  Esq.,  of  Titusville,  who  had  the  product  of  the 
well  measured,  which  revealed  the  fact  tHat  it  was  producing  over 
four  million  cubic  feet  per  day !  On  the  first  day  of  August,  1872, 
the  gas  was  conveyed  through  a  two-inch  pipe  to  the  city  of  Titus- 
ville. This  two-inch  pipe  was  found,  after  a  short  time,  inade- 
quate for  the  demand,  and  a  line  of  3  J-inch  pipe  was  laid  down,  and 
now  supplies  two  hundred  and  fifty  firms  and  private  families  with 
gas,  for  heating  and  lighting  purposes. 

Of  the  many  striking  features  of  the  Pennsylvania  oil  region, 
Gas  City,  Cranberry  township,  "Venango  County,  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable.  It  is  called  Gas  City  because  of  the  large  amount 
of  gas  flowing  from  its  wells,  of  which  there  are  some  thirty  pro- 
ducing oil.  The  town  has  about  forty  houses,  composed  principally 

14 


210  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

of  hardware  stores,  groceries,  restaurants,  &c.,  and  these  are  all 
heated  and  lighted  by  gas  from  one  well.  Each  well  has  gas 
enough  to  make  steam  for  its  engine,  and  to  light  the  engine-house 
— and  each  engine-house  uses  for  light  as  much  gas  as  would  sup- 
ply a  large  hotel,  and  wastes  more  than  would  supply  a  town  of  five 
thousand  inhabitants.  At  each  well  there  is  pipe  run  from  the 
boring  to  some  distance,  through  which  the  waste  gas  is  burned  at 
an  elevation  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet. 


GAS  WELLS  AT  EAST  SANDY. 

There  is  a  remarkable  gas  well  at  East  Sandy,  in  the  Pennsylva- 
nia oil  region,  which  was  struck  in  the  spring  of  1869.  It  caught 
fire,  and  resisted  all  efforts  to  extinguish  it,  and  it  burned  for  a  little 
more  than  a  year,  lighting  up  the  surrounding  country  for 'a  great 
distance.  The  rush  of  gas  and  flame,  roaring  like  a  cataract,  could 
be  heard  for  miles.  After  partial  exhaustion,  the  gas  was  conveyed 
in  pipes  in  some  instances  upwards  of  half  a  mile,  for  use  on  both 
drilling  and  pumping  wells.  The  amount  of  gas  produced  daily 
by  the  well  is  not  known,  having  never  been  tested,  but  some  idea 
of  it  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  it  has  supplied  gas  to  20 
pumping  and  drilling  wells  at  one  time.  In  some  instances  this  gas 
was  utilized  directly  into  the  engine,  like  steam  as  a  motive  power, 
the  steam-gauge  indicating  a  pressure  of  80  to  90  Ibs.  to  the  inch. 

The  presence  of  large  quantities  of  gas  in  the  Pennsylvania  oil 
region  usually  indicates  the  presence  of  an  abundance  of  oil  in  the 
neighborhood.  East  Sandy  offering  such  inducements,  oil  men, 
prominent  among  whom  we  may  mention  F.  W.  Andrews,  of  Titus- 
ville,  commenced  active  operations.  Success  was  not  so  great  as 
expected,  jet  quite  a  number  of  good  paying  wells  were  found. 


GAS  WELLS.  211 

THE  PHENOMENA  OF  OIL  WELLS. 

As  every  human  being  has  his  own  set  of  features,  tone  of  voice, 
and  the  like,  so  each  individual  well  has  its  characteristics,  whether 
it  be  a  flowing  or  pumping  well.  All  differ  in  regard  to  the  flow  of 
water,  gas  and  petroleum.  In  one  the  flow  of  oil  will  be  continuous 
and  uniform,  day  and  night,  not  ranging  more  from  week  to  week 
than  a  spring-brook.  In  others  the  flow  will  be  intermittent,  but 
with  precise  regularity  as  to  time;  others  again  flow  at  irregular 
intervals. 

It  is  recorded  of  "The  Coquet  Well"— Hyde  and  Egbert 
farm — that  she  emitted  a  succession  of  sounds  as  loud  and  as  sharp 
as  the  exhaust  of  a  small  steam-engine,  occurring  in  tolerable  order 
every  ten  seconds,  in  such  a  manner  as  1,  2,  3,  4;  1,  2,  3;  1,  2,  3, 
4 ;  and  sometimes  two  or  three  coming  off  together  by  an  extra- 
ordinary effort.  "The  Wild  Cat "  and  "Yankee  Wells"  remained 
silent  for  forty  and  twenty  minutes  respectively,  and  then  began  to 
foam  and  flow,  the  oil  coming  off  at  first  only  in  drops,  but  increas- 
ing by  degrees,  until  it  belched  forth  with  terrifying  force  and 
power.  These  discharges  then  decreased  in  violence,  and  finally 
fell  off  entirely,  after  the  lapse  of  from  five  to  eight  minutes.  Each 
escape  of  liquid  was  accompanied  by  a  sharp  report,  heard  at  the 
distance  of  a  hundred  yards  or  more.  Some  wells  have  remained 
quiescent  for  twenty-one  or  twenty-two  hours  in  the  day,  and  then 
have  broken  forth  in  one  continuous  flow,  or  a  succession  of  belch- 
ings,  for  two  or  three  hours.  A  few  wells  have  run  for  six  hours, 
and  then  subsided  or  distributed  their  favors  over  twelve  hours  in 
the  twenty-four.  "  The  Dunn  Well,"  on  the  Watson  flats,  pro- 
duced freely  from  morning  till  midday;  then  the  supply  diminished 
or  stopped  altogether,  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  the  pump  bringing 
little  but  salt  water.  In  the  case  of  pumping- wells,  with  each 
revolution  of  the  band-wheel,  (all  things  being  in  working  order,) 
a  discharge  of  oil,  or  salt  water,  or  both,  takes  place. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  account  for  the  phenomena  of  flowing  wells. 


212 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


Gas  seems  to  be  the  life-blood  of  these  remarkable  wells.  Pro- 
fessor Winchell,  in  an  article  on  gas- wells,  intelligently  disposes  of 
the  question,  which  we  here  append: 

"  The  escape  of  oil  at  the  surface  of  a  well  is  caused  sometimes 
by  mere  hydrostatic  pressure,  as  water  rises  in  a  common  artesian 
well.  More  frequently,  perhaps,  the  oil  is  forced  up  by  the  elastic 
reaction  of  confined  gases.  An  open  cavity,  or  a  porous  portion 
of  rock,  bounded  on  all  sides  by  impervious  walls — which  consti- 
tutes a  virtual  cavity — may  be  partly  filled  with  oil,  while  gases 
occupy  the  higher  portions  of  the  cavity.  Such  a  cavity,  whether 
actual  or  virtual,  may  possess  any  form  or  extent,  or  may  consist 
of  a  number  of  cavities  connected  by  narrow  passages  or  mere  fis- 
sures. In  nearly  all  cases,  more  or  less  gas  accompanies  the  oil, 

and  subsists  under  a 
very  high  degree  of 
pressure.  The  pres- 
sure in  such  cases  is 
not  the  hydrostatic 
pressure  of  water,  but 
a  consequence  of  the 
continual  generation 
of  gas  and  oil  long 
after  the  cavity  had 
been  filled.  If  the 
boring  happens  to  pe- 
netrate the  higher  por- 

FIG.  i.  FIG.  2. 

tion  of  such  a  cavity,  (Fig.  1),  the  gas  at  once  rushes  forth 
with  greater  or  less  violence  and  persistence.  As  soon,  how- 
ever, as  the  tension  is  relieved,  the  escape  ceases.  No  oil  will  be 
obtained  in  such  a  case  without  applying  suction,  since  there  is  no 
hydrostatic  pressure  exerted  from  behind,  and  the  reaction  of  the  gas 
tends  rather  to  confine  the  oil  in  the  lowest  ramifications  of  the 
cavity. 

"  Suppose,  however,  on  boring  a  hole  for  oil,  we  happen  to  pene- 


GAS    WELLS.  213 

trate  some  of  the  lower  portions  of  the  cavity  occupied  by  the  oil. 
The  elastic  pressure  of  the  confined  gas  above  will  at  once  force 
the  oil  up,  and  produce  a  spouting  or  blowing  well.  The  flow 
must  necessarily  subside  by  degrees  as  the  confined  gas,  by  the 
escape  of  the  oil,  acquires  more  space  for  its  accommodation.  It 
may  continue,  however,  until  the  cavity  is  exhausted  of  its  oil,  after 
which  pumping  will  be  of  no  avail.  If  the  confined  gas  attains  its 
equilibrium  before  the  oil  has  been  completely  forced  from  the  cavity, 
it  is  evident  that  the  remainder  must  be  obtained  by  pumping. 

"  Intermittent  wells  appear  to  act  in  some  cases  precisely  after 
the  manner  of  intermittent  springs.  More  frequently,  however,  it 
is  manifest  that  the  combined  action  of  gas  and  oil  produces  the 
phenomenon.  In  boring  a  well,  suppose  a  stream  of  gas  is  struck 
over  one  hundred  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  rock,  and  a  small 
stream  of  oil  twenty  feet  below  the  gas.  The  entrance  of  oil  fills 
twenty  feet  of  the  hole,  and  begins  to  submerge  the  fissure  at  which 
the  gas  is  escaping.  The  gas  forces  its  way  through  the  oil  with  a 
sputtering  sound,  bubble  after  bubble  rising  to  the  surface.  As 
the  oil  ascends,  the  gas  makes  louder  and  louder  complaints,  till, 
finally,  summoning  all  its  accumulated  energies,  it  hoists  the  super- 
incumbent column  of  oil  to  the  surface,  and  pours  it  out  in  a  few 
seconds'  duration.  The  flow  then  ceases,  and  the  same  operation 
begins  to  be  repeated.  After  a  minute  or  more,  renewed  grumbling 
and  sputtering,  the  pent  up-gas  again  relieves  itself,  and  thus  the 
work  continues.  The  same  result  would  ensue  if  oil  and  gas  found 
entrance  at  the  same  fissure,  or  even  if  the  gas  were  admitted  at 
any  distance  beneath  the  entrance  of  a  small  supply  of  oil." 

In  evidence  of  the  truth  of  Professor  Winchell's  conclusions,  we 
may  instance  a  case  in  point.  On  the  main  street  of  Kouseville, 
Venango  Co.,  Pa.,  is  the  site  of  an  old  well,  drilled  some  ten  years 
ago,  which  was  pumped,  and  long  since  abandoned;  it  is  now 
covered  with  earth,  and  hidden  from  view.  This  well,  with  the 
regularity  of  time,  flows  oil  and  gas  once  a  month.  The  cause  is 
obvious :  evidently  the  gas  accumulates,  carrying  with  it  oil,  forcing 
itself  through  the  resisting  earth. 


214  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

SALT  WATER  IN  WELLS. 

In  the  course  of  this  work  we  have  had  occasion  to  mention  the 
existence  of  salt  water  in  oil  wells.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  all  oil 
wells  salt  water  is  to  be  found.  But  whence  this  salt,  which,  in 
the  form  of  brine,  gushes  upward  from  depths  of  one  hundred  feet 
to  the  greatest  depths  to  which  wells  have  been  drilled  ?  Above 
the  first  sand-rock,  the  water  is  invariably  fresh ;  between  the  first 
and  second,  it  is  expected  to  be  such ;  below  that  stratum,  it  is  cer- 
tainly expected  to  be  brackish  or  briny.  As  a  rule,  the  surface 
water  does  not  go  down  through  the  second  sand  rock,  or  the  brine 
force  itself  above  it,  until  an  artificial  opening  exists,  the  excep- 
tions being  so  few  in  either  case  as  to  establish  the  general  princi- 
ple here  laid  down.  Besides,  it  is  well  known  that  water,  in  pass- 
ing through  sand  or  clay,  is  apt  rather  to  part  with  impurities  than 
take  others  up.  Wright,  in  his  work,  says : 

"  The  only  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  existence  of  these  salt 
springs  is  that  the  strata  in  which  they  abound,  at  one  period  in 
the  world's  history,  formed  part  of  the  ocean-bed.  This  may  have 
consisted  of  lime-stones,  sand-stones,  or  conglomerates,  all  saturated 
with  brine,  and  reposing  on  what  had  been  beds  of  clay  which  con- 
tained carbonaceous  ingredients ;  while  the  process  of  baking  this 
clay  into  shales  filled  it  with  cracks  and  seams,  that  have  since 
become  so  many  veins,  filled  with  salt  water  or  petroleum  expressed 
from  the  rocks  subsequently  formed;  the  whole  being  upheaved 
to  their  present  elevation.  But  who  shall  fill  up  the  picture  of 
those  ages,  of  which  this  is  scarcely  an  outline  ? 

The  relationship  between  brine  and  petroleum  is  intimate ;  yet 
they  are  not  invariably  found  together.  Where  oil  is  obtained  in 
the  second  sand-rock,  it  has  sometimes  happened  that  the  show  of 
salt  was  scarcely  perceptible  in  or  above  the  oil  vein.  By  sinking 
a  few  feet  deeper,  however,  the  brine  would  flow  up  so  profusely 
as  to  completely  monopolize  the  tube  and  choke  off  the  more 
desirable  product.  At  Tidioute,  the  alliance  is  so  intimate  that  it 


LOCATION   OF    WELLS   BY   SPIRIT   INFLUENCE.  215 

has  come  to  be  considered  a  maxim :  "  No  salt,  no  oil."  We  have 
stated,  that  brine  is  found  in  all  wells ;  but  it  is  not  always  found 
in  large  producing  wells,  when  at  their  best,  the  appearance  of  salt 
water  in  good  producing  wells  is  generally  a  precursor  of  a  decreased 
production.  As  to  the  why  or  wherefore  of  this  connection,  our 
superficial  philosophy  must  place  its  finger  on  the  lip,  and  be 
modestly  silent — for  the  present. 


LOCATION  OF  WELLS  BY  SPIKIT  INFLUENCE. 

The  story  related  of  the  locating  of  the  first  well  (by  spiritualistic 
agency)  called  the  Harmonical,  No.  1 ,  on  the  Porter  farm,  at  Plea- 
santville,  which  led  to  the  extensive  developments  in  the  Plea- 
santville  district  in  .1868,  is  stoutly  affirmed  by  the  party  who 
claims  to  have  been  the  instrument  selected  for  locating  it.  As  a 
matter  of  history  we  give  an  account  of  the  location  as  recorded  at 
the  time.  Mr.  James,  the  spiritualist,  in  company  with  a  number 
of  gentlemen,  was  on  his  way  to  examine  some  property  a  few  miles 
south  of  Pleasantville.  Seated  in  a  buggy  with  a  companion,  they 
had  proceeded  but  a  little  distance  when  Mr.  James  became  violently 
influenced  by  what  is  termed  his  attending  spirit-guide.  This  in- 
visible power  increased  till,  Paul-like,  he  hardly  knew  whether  he 
was  "  in  the  body  or  out."  The  control  soon  becoming  absolute, 
he  was  taken  over  the  fence  into  a  lot  on  the  east  side  of  the  road, 
moving  rapidly,  and  his  companions  following.  Nearly  uncon- 
scious, the  locomotion  seemed  to  him  like  being  hurriedly  forced 
over  a  fence.  Proceeding  towards  the  south  side,  then  back  and 
near  the  north  end  of  the  field,  he  moved  more  cautiously,  as  though 
tracing  some  lode  or  vein.  Reaching  a  certain  locality,  he  was 
thrown  heavily  upon  the  ground,  and  making  a  mark  with  his  fin- 
ger, thrust  a  penny  some  inches  into  the  earth.  He  then  fell  upon 
his  bosom  stiff,  and  apparently  lifeless.  His  eyes  were  closed,  his 
face  pale,  the  pulse  feeble,  and  the  limbs  rigid  as  in  death. 


216 


HISTORY  OF  PETEOLEUM. 


In  this  condition,  he  was  given  to  understand  that  they  were  then 
upon  a  superior  oil-producing  territory,  extending  many  miles  in  a 
certain  direction, — that  directly  under  their  feet,  were  floating 
streams  of  oil  that  if  opened  would  yield  rich  supplies.  This  was 
the  spot — the  precise  location  of  "  Harmonical  Well,  No.  1"  which 
was  struck  in  February,  1868,  and  produced  upwards  of  100  barrels 
per  day.  The  striking  of  this  well  created  great  activity  in  oil  devel- 
opments in  the  district,  and  thus  commenced  the  famous  Pleasant- 
ville  excitement  of  1868.  Mr.  James  has  located  many  wells  in  the 
oil  region  by  <(  spiritual  guidance,"  many  of  which  proved  good  pro- 
ducing wells.  He  became  prominent  as  an  enterprising  and  success- 
ful operator.  Recently,  however,  he  has  located  a  well  on  the  Cla- 
rion River,  claiming  the  same  manifestations  as  related  in  regard  to 
the  Pleasantville  well.  This  well  is  now  sunk  to  the  depth  of  1600 
feet,  and  no  sand  and  no  oil,  but  drilling  still  continues.  There  are 
many  operators  in  whose  minds  are  yet  fresh  the  implicit  confidence 
placed  in  "  Oil  Wizards,"  and  their  power  to  successfully  locate 
wells ;  indeed,  they  are  to  be  found  at  the  present  time,  and  still  a 
few  of  our  oil  men  employ  "  Hazel-twig "  manipulators  to  mark 
the  spot  to  drill  upon.  That  they  were  skillful,  at  least  so  far  as 
manipulating  the  divining  rod — or  "dowsing  rod"  as  it  was  some- 
times called — to  the  satisfaction  of  their  employers  and  their  own 
emolument,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  that  they  have  now  almost 
become  extinct  is  equally  true.  Still  the  system  or  practice  has  yet 
its  defenders,  and  it  seems  not  without  some  shadow  of  consistency. 
In  1826,  a  book  was  published  by  Count  de  Tristam,  which  gives 
a  general  history  of  its  use  and  many  details,  which  are  curious  as 
well  as  interesting.  The  French  call  it  "  Baguette  Divinatoire ;" 
and  M.  Chevreuil,  in  1854,  published  a  book  combating  the  ob- 
jections raised  to  it  as  a  deception,  and  ascribing  its  action  to  philo- 
sophic causes. 

The  divining  rod  is  a  forked  stick  of  either  hazel  or  peach,  held 
by  the  extremity  of  each  prong  of  the  fork  in  a  peculiar  way — the 
palms  of  the  hands  being  upward,  and  the  prong  in  either  hand 


LOCATION    OF   WELLS   BY   SPIRIT   INFLUENCE.  217 


. 


crossing  the  palm  and  being  held  by  the  thumb  and  tips  of  the  fin- 
gers. The  wizard  then  walks  over  the  country  he  is  to  try,  and  as  he 
approaches  the  greatest  body  of  oil  in  the  immediate  neighborhood, 
the  thick  end  or  handle  of  the  fork  turns  down  in  spite  of  all  the 
efforts  of  the  holder  to  the  contrary.  There  is  no  doubt  that, 
owing  to  the  way  in  which  it  is  held,  it  has,  when  once  it  begins  to 
move,  a  mechanical  tendency  to  turn,  and  this  increased  at  the  will 
of  the  holder,  and  in  such  a  way  as  to  remain  undiscovered  by  even 
a  close  observer. 

Wells  have  been  located  and  by  some  diviners,  with  wonderful 
success,  but  whether  through  good  luck  or  actual  philosophy  is  a 
question  not  easily  disposed  of.  It  has  been  used  with  marked 
success  in  Europe,  in  discovering  mineral  lodes  or  deposits ;  and 
even  as  late  as  1863,  we  read  of  a  French  ecclesiastic  making  a  hand- 
some income  by  its  use  in  discovering  veins  of  water. 

A  case  stilt  later — 1869 — is  quoted,  in  which  what  is  called  the 
Chiverton  lode  was  discovered  by  its  aid, — this  in  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land. In  the  central  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  a  well  is  seldom 
dug  without  first  calling  in  the  "  water  wizard,"  and  making  him 
"  smett" — as  they  term  the  process — over  the  ground  where  water  is 
wanted.  This  same  water  wizard  is  generally  shrewd,  and  allows 
the  rod  to  turn  down  where  water  will  be  most  convenient,  and 
then  announces  the  depth  at  which  it  should  be  found,  giving  as 
nearly  as  possible  the  same  depth  as  of  other  wells  in  the  vicinity, 
— with  due  allowance  for  surface  irregularity, — and  the  prophecy 
seldom  fails. 

Some  of  the  best  oil  wells  on  Pit  Hole  were  located  by  the  use  of 
this  instrument,  and  this  fact  is  often  quoted  by  its  defenders,  but 
of  course  finds  little  sympathy  with  the  incredulous. 


218  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


A  PHENOMENON  WITH  AN  EXPLANATION. 

At  Pit  Hole,  in  the  early  part  of  1866,  a  singular  phenomenon 
manifested  itself.  A  fire  occurred  at  the  United  States  Hotel ;  the 
water  used  to  extinguish  it  was  procured  from  an  adjacent  well, 
but  after  a  time  it  was  observed  that  the  supposed  water  was  only 
adding  fuel  to  the  flame,  and  on  examination  it  was  found  that  the 
well  from  which  the  water  was  obtained,  was  covered  with  oil  some 
inches  in  thickness ;  in  fact,  the  oil  was  running  into  it.  On  further 
examination,  other  wells  were  found  in  like  condition.  Great  ex- 
citement followed  ;  many  thousands  visited  the  locality,  and  large 
prices  were  offered  for  them.  It  was  not  confined  to  the  wells  alone. 
Two  or  three  springs  in  the  vicinity  of  the  water  wells  mentioned, 
were  found  to  be  covered  with  oil.  Nature,  it  would  seem,  had 
become  weary  of  the  drilling  and  pumping  process  of  obtaining  oil, 
and  poured  out  her  treasures  of  her  own  accord 

The  first  well  in  which  oil  was  discovered,  was  only  sixteen  feet 
in  depth,  and  from  it  over  fifty  barrels  of  oil  were  taken  with  a 
common  pump.  The  second  well  was  twenty-three  feet  in  depth; 
from  this  well  were  obtained  over  one  hundred  barrels  of  oil.  These 
wells  produced  at  the  rate  of  five  to  twenty  barrels  per  day,  when 
operated.  From  the  spring  near  them,  the  owners  dipped  several 
barrels  per  day.  Some  parties  sank  wells  to  a  moderate  depth,  and 
in  cases  obtained  oil.  One  of  these,  only  a  few  feet  from  the  first- 
named,  struck  a  crevice  in  the  surface  rock,  at  a  depth  of  twelve 
feet,  from  which  poured  a  fine  stream  of  oil.  The  yield  from  these 
wells  was  of  brief  duration,  and  many  who  had  wildly  speculated 
in  leases  lost  heavily.  These  wells  were  located  about  150  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  creek,  on  the  second  bench  or  table  land, 
half  a  mile  from  the  "creek,  where  producing  wells  were  located. 
The  wild  theories  of  the  wise  and  learned,  and  the  speculative,  too, 
were  soon  after  wiped  away, — a  solution  of  the  mystery,  and  its 
explanation  being  conclusive.  JThe  Pit  Hole*  and  Miller  farm  pipe 


COST  OF  WELLS.  219 

line  had  burst  during  the  cold  weather  of  the  winter  of  1866,  at  a 
point  in  the  neighborhood  of  these  wells,  and  some  thousands  of 
barrels  of  oil  were  lost.  The  oil  taken  from  the  wells  described, 
was  the  product  of  this  misfortune  to  the  Pipe  Line  Company ! 


COST  OF  WELLS. 

LIFE  OF  WELLS  AND   COST  OF   PRODUCING  OIL   PEE  BARREL. 

The  cost  of  putting  down  oil  wells  has  varied  through  all  the 
years  of  the  history  of  the  business,  and  also  varies  with  the  locality 
and  facilities  for  the  work.     In  the  early  years  of  this  industry 
many  and  frequent  were  the  mishaps,  the  losing  of  tools,  and  other 
vexatious  accidents,  the  results  of  inexperience,  which  often  termi- 
nated in  the  abandonment  of  the  work  o£  drilling.      Experience 
and  the  improved  facilities  offered  by  many  valuable  inventions 
have  almost  entirely  obviated  the  difficulties  with  which  the  early 
operators  had  to  contend.     Most  wells  at  the  present  time  are  cased, 
with  pipe  six  to  six  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter,  to  a  depth  suffi- 
cient to  shut  off  the  fresh  water.     Previous  to  entering  the  oil-bear- 
ing rock,  a  six  to  eight  inch  hole  is  drilled  down  to  this  point,  and 
then  "  seed-bagged."     This  device  prevents  the  fresh  water  from 
falling  below  the  lower  end  of  the  casing.     The  drilling  now  pro- 
ceeds with  a  reduced  bore  of  about  five  and  a  half  to  six  inches  in 
diameter,  to  the  required  depth,  after  which  two-inch  tubing  is  let 
down  to  or  below  the  oil  rock,  and  pumping  is  commenced  at  once. 
The  power  of  engines  used  varies — from  ten  to  twelve  horse-power 
being  the  maximum.     The  cost  of  these  is  in  accordance  with  the 
contingencies  above  mentioned.      Wells  range  from  five  hundred 
to   sixteen   hundred   feet  in   depth,  and   the  entire  expense  for 
rigs,  machinery,  and  drilling,  averages  from  $3,000  to  $8,500  for 
each  well. 

These  figures  cover  the  average  cost  of  shallow  and  deep  wells, 


220 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


without  tankage.  In  some  cases,  however,  they  are  put  down 
cheaper,  and  in  others,  where  accidents  occur,  such  as  caving  in, 
tools,  sticking,  etc.,  they  cost  more  money. 

The  time  required  for  completing  a  well,  ready  for  pumping, 
ranges  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  days. 

From  the  reports  issued  by  the  Petroleum  Producers'  Associa- 
tion, 1871,  we  deduce  the  following  interesting  items  in  regard  to 
the  completion,  abandonment  and  resumption  of  wells,  and  from 
these  facts  learn  the  average  life  of  a  well  and  the  length  of  time 
required  to  drill  one. 

The  facts  given  are  as  follows : 


Date. 
1871. 

Wells 
Drilling. 

Wells 
Completed. 

Wells 
Abandoned. 

Wells 
Resumed. 

Number  of 
Wells 
Producing. 

132 

90 

83 

14 

2897 

February  

173 

57 

63 

31 

3036 

240 

64 

69 

9 

2921 

April  

279 

87 

56 

24 

2994 

Mav... 

356 

99 

30 

29 

3087 

303 

154 

55 

8 

3177 

July    

329 

147 

54 

39 

3280 

330 

112 

88 

29 

3369 

September  
October  

439 

486 

128 
182 

69 

78 

38 
28 

3466 
3606 

November  

477 

154 

83 

15 

3692 

December  

394 

191 

131 

21 

3775 

Total... 

3938 

1465 

859 

285 

39.300 

From  which  we  deduce  that  859  minus  285,  the  net  number  of 
wells  abandoned  during  the  year,  was  574,  or  an  average  of  47.8 
per  month :  the  average  number  of  wells  producing  was  one-twelfth 
of  39,300,  or  3,275 ;  and  the  time  necessary  for  all  to  become  aban- 
doned would  be  3,275,  divided  by  47.8,  or  68  J  months,  or  twice  the 
average  life  of  a  well.  Wells,  therefore,  (including  all  "dry  holes  " 
of  which  any  record  is  had,)  average  to  produce  oil  for  34  J  months. 


COST  OF   WELLS.  221 

The  average  time  required  to  drill  the  1,465  wells  completed 
during  the  year  is  as  many  months  as  the  number  completed  is 
contained  in  the  total  number  reported  as  being  drilled  at  the  close 
of  each  month,  or  3,938  divided  by  1,465,  equal  to  2.69  months, 
equal  to  81  days  nearly;  the  extremes  are,  however,  wide  apart. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  average  cost 
of  all  wells  drilled,  including  the  dry  holes,  and  adding  the  cost  of 
pumping  to  determine  the  average  cost  of  each  barrel  of  oil  pro- 
duced ;  an  exact  account  it  will  be  quite  impossible  to  arrive  at,  but 
a  close  approximation  is  reached  by  the  following  method : 

We  divide  the  cost  of  a  well  into  three  parts ;  one  a  constant 
quantity,  viz.,  the  cost  of  labor  and  fuel  expended  in  drilling  the 
wells,  for  which  $26  is  a  fair  average  daily  expense,  or  for  the 
81  days  $2,106.  This  for  the  1,465  completed  will  amount  to 
$3,085,290.  Another  part  is  the  cost  of  the  engine,  boiler,  rig, 
&c.,  necessary  for  each  well ;  this  is  fully  $3,000  for  each  successful 
well ;  but  in  the  case  of  dry  holes  other  wells  can  probably  be  put 
down  with  the  same  material  for  $1,000  each.  To  determine  the 
total  expenditure  for  this  item  it  is  necessary  to  ascertain  the  pro- 
portion of  the  dry  holes  to  the  successful  wells ;  this  proportion  we 
learn  from  the  experience  of  several  of  the  most  extensive  oper- 
ators, is  five  of  every  thirteen  wells  drilled,  or  540  dry  and  925 
successful  wells  drilled  in  1871,  or  an  aggregate  expense  for  en- 
gines, boilers  and  rigs  of  $3,315,000. 

A  third  portion  of  the  expense  is  that  for  tubing,  rods,  pumps, 
tanks  and  et  ceteras  necessary  to  work  the  well :  this  may  be  fairly 
estimated  at  $1,000  per  well,  or  an  aggregate  of  $925,000. 

To  reach  the  *  cost  of  the  oil  produced,  we  must  add  to  this  cost 
of  the  new  wells,  the  expense  of  pumping  those  that  have  produced ; 
this  expense  may  be  fairly  averaged  at  $6.50  per  day,  or  an  aggre- 
gate for  the  3,275  wells,  of  $7,982,812. 

This  makes  a  total  expenditure  for  the  year  1871,  of  $15,308,102, 
to  produce  5,755,057  barrels  of  oil,  or  an  average  of  $2.66  per 
barrel. 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

OIL  SHAFTS  AND  DEEP  WELLS. 

Many,  in  the  early  history  of  oil  developments  entertained  the 
idea  of  sinking  shafts  so  as  to  obtain  oil  in  vast  quantity,  and  then, 
as  it  were,  to  tap  the  fountain  at  its  head.  Instances  are  recorded 
of  such  shafts  being  sunk  to  the  depth  of  from  two  hundred  to 
five  hundred  feet,  in  Burmah,  which  have  yielded  large  quantities 
of  oil  for  hundreds  of  years.  In  these  Burmese  shaft-wells,  the 
mode  of  lifting  the  oil  is  not  remarkably  skillful,  the  entire  wTork 
being  accomplished  by  buckets.  When  it  is  necessary  to  clear  the 
shafts,  men  are  let  down  by  means  of  ropes,  and  they  often  die  from 
the  effects  of  the  gas.  Life,  however,  is  cheap  in  that  country  ; 
and  there  is  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  wells  clear  at  moderate 
cost. 

The  first  oil  shaft  sunk  in  this  country,  was  near  Tarentum,  in 
Allegany  County,  about  twenty  miles  above  Pittsburgh,  which  was 
finished  in  the  latter  part  of  1859.  The  third  sand  rock  in  this 
locality  is  found  at  a  depth  not  much  less  than  two  thousand  feet, 
and  as  the  shaft  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  only  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  little  or  no  oil  was  obtained.  The 
salt  wells  of  that  section,  which  usually  penetrate  to  a  great  depth, 
have  always  yielded  more  or  less  oil  mixed  with  salt  water. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  Allegany  river,  opposite  Tidioute,  is  a 
shaft,  sunk  in  1865  by  the  New  Yprk  Enterprise  and  Mining  Com- 
pany. The  aim  of  the  company  was  to  penetrate,  if  possible,  the 
third  sand  rock,  .and  then  tunnel  into  it.  The  Tidioute  shaft  is  the 
only  one  in  this  country  which  has  penetrated  the  third  sand  rock. 
The  shaft  is  twelve  by  eight  feet  in  width,  and  a  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  deep.  Upon  striking  the  oil  rock,  holes  were  drilled 
at  various  angles,  and  quite  a  large  amount  of  rock  was  removed 
and  brought  to  the  surface.  The  men  worked  in  "  towers  "  of  eight 
hours  each,  and  the  shaft  was  kept  supplied  with  fresh  air  by 
means  of  a  powerful  air  blast.  At  the  end  of  one  of  the  towers  the 
men  came  up  to  the  surface,  the  engine  was  for  some  reason  stopped, 


OIL   SHAFTS   AND   DEEP   WELLS.  223 

and  the  gas  accumulated.  The  two  gangs  of  men  were  seated 
on  the  curbings  round  the  edge  of  the  shaft,  and  Mr.  Hart,  the 
foreman,  occupied  a  position  on  a  plank  directly  over  the  mouth 
of  the  pit.  As  a  preliminary  to  descending,  one  of  the  men 
dropped  a  lighted  taper  into  the  shaft,  which  was  instantly  followed 
by  a  powerful  explosion.  The  men  were  thrown  violently  back 
from  the  curbing,  and  as  soon  as  they  recovered  from  the  shock, 
they  found  that  Mr.  Hart  had  disappeared  into  the  pit  below. 
The  body  of  Mr.  Hart  was  found  in  a  shockingly  mangled  con- 
dition, having  been  tossed  from  beam  to  beam  on  its  way  to  the 
bottom.  His  death,  more  than  anything  else,  put  a  stop  to  the 
operations, — at  least  no  work  was  ever  done  after  that. 

A  second  shaft  well  was  put  down  at  Tidioute,  about  the  date 
of  the  one  described  above.  We  have,  however,  been  unable  to 
obtain  reliable  data  in  regard  to  it. 

Another  shaft  was  sunk  near  the  Hyde  and  Egbert  farm,  below 
Petroleum  Centre.  Work  was  suspended  on  reaching  one  hundred 
and  sixty  feet,  owing  to  the  large  flow  of  gas,  and  the  great  cost  of 
the  undertaking. 

In  November,  1865,  Mr.  Jonathan  Watson,  of  Titus ville,  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  drilling  a  well  beyond  the  third  sand  rock,  in 
hope  of  reaching  a  fourth  sand.  Drilling  on  this  well  was  prose- 
cuted for  upwards  of  two  years  without  reaching  a  fourth  sand  rock. 
This  well  was  cased  with  three  and  a  quarter  inch  casing,  to  its  full 
depth  of  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  and  pumped, 
but  without  any  show  of  oil.  This  enterprise  cost  Mr.  Watson 
upward  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

Probably  the  deepest  boring  in  the  world,  is  to  be  found  at 
Sperenberg,  in  Lusatia,  Germany,  at  the  salt  region  of  that  place, 
where  a  depth  of  four  thousand  feet  has  been  attained. 


224 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


EARLY  FLOWING    WELLS, 

FROM   1861   TO  1864. 


FOSTER  FARM. 

THE  SHERMAN  WELL. — In  May,  1862,  there  was  but  one  pro- 
ducing well  on  the  Foster  farm,  and  that  was  called  "  The  Sher- 
man Well/7 — and  that  was  struck  in  March  of  the  year  first-named. 
She  started  off  at  1,000  to  1,300  barrels,  and  was  for  some  montlfe 
the  largest  well  "on  the  Creek."  "The  Sherman  Well"  continued 
to  flow  until  February  1864,  gradually  diminishing.  Her  daily 
product  as  a  pumping  well  was  quite  large,  and  she  held  out  for 
two  or  three  years. 

"  The  Sherman  well "  lease  was  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  W.  Sher- 
man, now  a  resident  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  came  to  the  oil  region 
in  the  early  days  of  petroleum,  in  somewhat  straightened  circum- 
stances. He  had  some  means,  but  not  enough,  as  the  -sequel  proves, 
to  complete  his  first  well.  He  obtained  a  lease  upon  the  Foster 
farm,  below  Shaffer,  on  the  Creek,  and  commenced  the  work  of 
drilling  a  well.  Passing  over  the  trials  and  embarrassments  en- 
countered in  getting  ready  to  drill,  he  finally  began  his  enterprise, 
employing  "  spring  pole  power.  In  the  "  first  sand "  he  had  a 
"  good  show  "  of  oil,  but  long  before  he  reached  the  "  second  sand 
rock,"  his  money  gave  out,  and  he  was  compelled  to  shut  down. 
The  "  spring  pole  "  had  become  powerless  to  work  the  drill  effect- 
ively, and  a  horse  or  steam-power  was  indispensable.  Mr.  Sher- 
man waited  for  something  to  turn  up,  by  which  he  could  obtain 


EAELY  FLOWING   WELLS.  225 

either  a  steam  engine  or  a  horse.  After  many  days  of  waiting,  an 
interest  in  the  well  was  disposed  of  "  for  an  old  horse," — and  the 
work  proceeded.  Two  or  three  weeks  of  horse-power  drilling,  and 
the  labor  became  too  heavy  for  "  OLD  PETE."  Another  one-six- 
teenth was  sold  to  two  gentlemen  who  owned  a  small  steam  engine, 
and  work  was  again  resumed.  Coal  was  an  expensive  item,  and 
it  could  not  be  had  without  the  "  ready  cash," — and  not  one  of  the 
owners  could  muster  enough  to  buy  a  single  ton  !  Another  halt ! 

A  week's  delay  and  another  interest  was  forced  upon  a  reluctant 
purchaser,  for  "  $80  in  cash  and  a  shot  gun."  Just  before  the  last 
dollar  of  this  money  had  been  expended,  the  drill  penetrated  "  a 
crevice,"  and  the  "  Sherman "  commenced  to  flow  at  the  rate  of 
1,000  barrels  per  day!  The  fortunes  of  the  plucky  lessees  were 
made — they  had  "  struck  ile,"  indeed.  "  The  Sherman  "  con- 
tinued to  flow  for  two  or  three  years,  finally  coming  down  to  a 
pumping  well.  It  is  safe  to  say,  the  product  of  this  well  enriched 
its  owners  in  fabulous  degree,  for  its  total  receipt  for  oil  sold  is 
estimated  at  $1,700,000 ! 

Soon  after  "the  Sherman'*  began  to  flow,  a  dozen  or  more  wells 
were  drilled  upon  this  farm,  but  they  were  mainly  non-productive. 
Mr.  Frederick  Crocker  put  down  one  well  on  the  farm,  which  he 
pumped  two  months  steadily,  when  she  started  off  at  the  rate  of  five 
hundred  barrels  daily.  The  "  Crocker  well "  had  a  short  career, 
however.  The  surrounding  wells  let  down  the  surface  water  and 
soon  drowned  her  out.  She  produced  for  a  year  or  more,  and  was 
then  abandoned. 


LOWER  McELHENNY  FARM. 

This  farm  was  purchased  by  Capt.A.  B.  Funk,  in  the  fall  of 
1859,  of  David  McElhenny,  the  original  proprietor,  for  $1,500— 
McElhenny  reserving  one-quarter  of  the  oil.  In  the  spring  of  1860, 
the  work  of  development  began,  and  the  first  well  drilled  was 
named  "The  Fountain."  It  was  put  down  with  spring-pole 
15 


226  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

power,  to  the  depth  of  260  feet.  To  reach  this  depth  required 
months  of  labor,  running  into  the  winter  and  spring  of  1861. 
During  the  early  months  of  the  latter  year,  the  ".spring-pole  "  pro- 
cess was  abandoned,  and  a  small  locomotive  boiler  and  a  stationary 
engine  were  obtained,  and  with  this  the  drilling  was  completed.  At 
this  early  day,  few,  if  any  wells,  were  drilled  below  the  "  second 
sand  rock/'  obtained  generally  at  about  160  feet.  Capt.  Funk  was 
inclined  to  abandon  this  well  at  260  feet  depth — 100  feet  below  the 
only  oil-bearing  rock  yet  discovered.  His  son,  A.  P.  Funk,  then 
and  afterwards  in  charge  of  operations  upon  the  farm,  determined 
to  sink  it  still  deeper,  persuaded  that  another  oil  rock  could  be 
found. 

The  well  was  completed  in  May,  1861 — the  drill  having  reached 
the  "  third  sand,"  and  perforated  it  to  the  depth  of  sixty  feet  be- 
fore the  slightest  evidences  of  gas  or  oil  were  visible.  Its  entire 
depth  was  460  feet,  and  the  top  of  the  "  pebble  rock  "  or  "  third 
sand"  was  struck  at  400  feet  depth.  When  the  oil  vein  was 
reached,  the  drilling  tools  were  "  hammering  away  "  at  the  bottom 
of  the  well,  and  the  first  intimation  the  drillers  had  of  the  presence 
of  oil  was  the  gradual  rising  of  a  foam,  under  which  was  a  volume 
of  water,  bubbling  and  rushing  over  the  top  of  the  drilling-pipe. 
This  continued  for  some  moments,  the  column  of  water,  mixed 
with  oil,  steadily  rising  to  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet  above 
the  drilling-pipe,  when  it  seemed  to  explode,  and  the  oil  followed 
in  immense  volume,  rising  to  the  altitude  of  the  derrick  and  above  it. 

This  was  the  first  well  put  down  to  the  "  third  sand  rock  "  in 
the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region.  It  was,  as  before  remarked,  .named 
the  "  Fountain  Well,"  and  produced  (flowing)  300  barrels  per  day 
for  about  six  months,  and  then  stopped  short — instantly,  it  is  said, 
and  never  afterwards  produced  a  barrel  of  oil.  It  was  agreed  upon 
all  hands  that  the  well  was  destroyed  by  paraffine,  for  the  lead 
pipe  from  it  to  the  tanks — two  hundred  feet  distant — was  completely 
filled  up  with  it  to  such  solidity  that  a  sucker  rod  could  not  be 
driven  through  it  with  a  sledge  hammer.  Only  thirty  feet  of 


EARLY   FLOWING  WELLS.  227 

tubing  was  ever  used  in  the  well,  and  the  hole  doubtless  presented 
the  same  appearance  as  to  obstructions  as  did  the  lead  pipe.  The 
verdict  therefore,  was,  "  The  Fountain  Well "  was  destroyed  by  pa- 
raffine. 

"The  Empire  Well/7  same  farm,  was  put  down  by  Bennett  & 
Hatch,  lessees,  and  was  completed  about  the  20th  of  September, 
1861.  "  The  Empire"  had  the  same  sands  and  the  same  depth  of 
"  third  sand "  as  that  found  in  "  The  Fountain  Well."  When 
struck,  she  started  off  at  2,500  barrels  !  Six  weeks  after  she  began 
to  "  flow,"  2,200  barrels  was  her  regular  daily  product !  She  flowed 
nearly  eight  months,  gradually  falling  off  to  about  1,200  barrels, 
when  in  May,  1862,  she,  like  her  predecessor,  "'The  Fountain," 
stopped  as  suddenly  and  as  mysteriously  as  did  her  consort,  but  not 
with  the  same  fatality  as  to  future  profit.  "The  Empire"  was  soon 
afterwards  cleaned  out,  and  the  pump  applied  to  her,  and  for  some 
months  she  produced  600  barrels  per  day,  and  then  fell  off,  and  for 
eight  or  nine  months  gave  out  about  300  barrels  per  day. 

There  is  one  incident  connected  with  the  history  of  "  The  Em- 
pire Well "  which  will  bear  repetition.  While  in  the  height  of  her 
"  flow,"  one  month's  product  of  the  well  was  sold  to  Bradley  & 
Son,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  for  five  hundred  dollars  !  Not  less  than 
100,000  barrels  of  oil  poured  out  of  her  during  this  thirty  days' 
transfer,  for  which  her  owners  realized  not  more  than  five  cents  per 
barrel ! 

The  "  Lower  McElhenny  farm  "  was  among  the  most  prolific  of 
"  flowing  well "  localities  on  "  the  Creek."  After  the  "  Fountain" 
and  "  Empire  "  wells  were  struck,  the  farm  became  rapidly  studded 
with  derricks,  engine  houses,  and  all  the  paraphanalia  of  an  oil- 
producing  locality.  "  The  Davis  and  Wheelock  Well,"  was  struck 
in  the  fall  of  1862,  and 'daily  poured  out  1,500  barrels.  "The 
Densmore  Well,  No.  1,"  struck  about  the  same  time,  flowed  600 
barrels  per  day.  No.  2,  same  party  and  name,  400  barrels  per 
day;  and  No.  3,  same  owners,  about  500  barrels  per  day.  These 
latter  wells  were  all  struck  about  the  same  time — in  the  fall  of 


228  HISTORY  OF  PETEOLEUM. 

1862,  and  were  all  put  down  upon  a  two-acre  lease.  "The 
Crocker  Well "  was  struck  about  the  same  date,  and  flowed  1,000  bar- 
rels daily.  This  well  was  owned  by  Mr.  FRED.  CROCKER,  of  Titus- 
ville — since  one  of  the  prominent  producers  of  the  region,  and  now 
as  anxious,  and  as  industrious  and  determined  to  obtain  good  pay- 
ing wells,  as  he  was  in  1861 — thought  he  could  hold  the  oil  in  the 
well,  for  better  prices,  as  well  as  to  save  tankage  expenses,  and 
resolved  to  "plug  it"  below  "the  second  sand-rock."  His  fur- 
ther object  was  to  control  the  flow  of  oil  to  suit  his  convenience  ! 
In  the  "  plug "  was  an  inch-and-a-half  hole,  to  permit  the  oil  to 
escape  into  the  tubing  above ;  and  upon  the  top  of  the  tubing  was 
placed  a  stop-cock  of  like  dimensions.  The  idea  was  to  turn  off  or 
on,  the  flow  of  oil  at  any  moment,  and  thus  secure  a  car,  or  a  boat- 
load at  pleasure !  The  contrivance  worked  well  for  a  single  day  ! 
But  shutting  down  for  the  night,  to  remain  idle  for  eight  or  ten 
hours,  was  fatal  to  it.  The  following  morning,  upon  opening  the 
stop-cock,  little  or  no  oil  came  from  her.  The  "  plug  "  was  subse- 
quently driven  to  the  bottom  of  the  well,  for  it  could  not  be  with- 
drawn, and  the  well  became  a  "  pumper  "  of  thirty  to  fifty  barrels 
per  day,  and  finally  after  a  brief  life  was  abandoned. 

To  these  noted  "flowers"  of  "The  Lower  McElhenny  farm," 
may  be  added  "The  Hibbard  Well,"  struck  in  March  1863,  and 
started  off  at  400  barrels.  "  The  American  Well,"  struck  about 
the  same  time,  and  flowed  500  barrels.  "  The  Canfield  Well," 
struck  in  the  summer  of  1863,  and  flowed  400  barrels. 

During  the  fall,  winter  and  spring  of  1862  and  '63,  the  daily 
product  of  the  Lower  McElhenny  farm,  was  between  five  and  six 
thousand  barrels.  Oil  was  sold  from  this  farm,  during  the  years 
just  mentioned,  as  low  as  10  cents  per  barrel;  the  average  price, 
however,  l>eing  25  cents  per  barrel,  the  purchaser  furnishing  his 
own  barrels.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  better  prices  were  realized; 
oil  being  sold  from  the  tanks  on  the  farm  at  $5.00  per  barrel. 


EABLY   FLOWING  WELLS.  229 


THE  ESPY  FARM. 

This  farm,  adjoining  the  Lower  McElhenny,  had  some  noted 
flowing  wells,  in  the  early  days  of  petroleum  development.  "  The 
Buckeye  Well"  was  one  of  the  most  famous.  She  was  completed 
in  September,  1861,  and  flowed  1,000  barrels  per  day;  while  there 
were  other  good-producing  wells  upon  this  farm,  they  were  small, 
compared  to  those  upon  the  McElhenny  farm.  "  The  Buckeye  " 
was  a  famous  producer.  The  tanks  to  receive  her  oil,  were  set  up 
on  the  hills  above  her,  two  hundred  feet,  and  for  a  year  the  oil  was 
forced  through  a  lead  pipe  into  these  tanks  from  the  well ! 


HYDE  AND  EGBERT  FARM. 

PETROLEUM    CENTRE. 

Dr.  A.  G.  EGBERT,  now  an  enterprising  and  wealthy  resident 
of  Franklin,  Pa.,  purchased,  or  contracted  to  purchase  the  Davidson 
farm,  of  its  owner  and  occupant,  in  1860.  Later,  Mr.  Davidson 
died,  and  some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  obtaining  a  clear  title 
to  the  property.  Without  further  detail,  we  may  add  that  all  was 
cleared  up,  and  in  1862,  CHARLES  HYDE,  of  Hydetown,  became  a 
purchaser  of  one-half  the  property  from  Dr.  EGBERT,  who,  mean- 
time, had  effected  a  settlement  with  the  widow  Davidson,  agreeing 
to  pay  her  $2,625 — "  and  one-twelfth  of  the  oil,"  for  a  deed  of  the 
farm.  This  sum,  $2,625,  Mr.  Hyde  paid  to  Dr.  Egbert  for  one- 
half  his  purchase  from  Mrs.  Davidson. 

Prior  to  this  sale  to  Mr.  Hyde,  or  in  the  spring  of  1861,  a  well 
had  been  drilled  \ipon  the  property.  This  was  called  "  The  Hollis- 
ter  Well,"  and  when  struck,  "the  oil  flowed  in  great  volume," 
flooding  everything  about  the  derrick.  The  lessees  had  contracted 
to  deliver  to  the  land-owners,  their  "one-half  royalty,"  in  barrels. 
Barrels  could  not  be  obtained  in  sufficient  quantities,  at  any  price, 


230 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


and  $3.50  to  $4.00  was  demanded  for  all  that  could  be  procured. 
Oil  was  selling  at  25  to  30  cents  per  barrel.  The  drillers,  therefore, 
abandoned  their  enterprise,  and  the  well  was  never  tested !  It 
continued  to  flow  for  some  days,  the  oil  running  upon  the  ground. 
The  lessees  could  not  afford  to  barrel  that  portion  going  to  the  land 
proprietors,  for  it  would  cost  them  more  than  the  entire  product  was 
worth ! 

"  The  Jersey  Well "  was  one  of  the  famous  "  flowers  "  of  the 
Hyde  &  Egbert  farmland  was  the  property  of  a  company  of  Jersey- 
men,  and  was  struck  in  the  spring  of  1863.  It  produced  from 
the  start  350  barrels  per  day,  and  this  product  was  maintained 
with  little  variation  for  quite  nine  months. 

"The  Maple -Shade  Well" — working  interest — was  the  property  of 
an  organized  company,  "  The  Maple  Shade  Oil  Company,"  and  was 
struck  August  5th,  1863.  Its  product  was  800  barrels  per  day, 
and  continued  at  this  standard  for  eight  or  ten  months.  It  was  a 
steady  flower,  and  brought*  its  owners  a  large  amount  of  wealth. 
Dr.  A.  G.  Egbert  informs  the  writer  that  during  its  life  its  aggre- 
gate net  earnings  and  clear  profits  were  more  than  $1,500,000  J 

"  The  Coquet  Well,"  Hyde  &  Egbert  farm,  was  struck  in  the 
spring  of  1864.  An  account  of  this  well  will  be  found  in  the  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  Mr.  E.  B.  Grandin,  and  we  omit  its  repetition 
here.  "  The  Coquet "  was  pumped  for  ten  or  twelve  days,  when, 
upon  drawing  the  sucker  rods,  in  order  to  relieve  her  of  an  exces- 
sive quantity  of  gas,  she  began  to  flow  largely,  and  for  a  few  days 
produced  1,000  to  1,200  barrels.  She  finally  settled  down  at  800 
barrels,  and  continued  for  many  months  at  this  standard. 


CHERRY  RUN  OR  RYND  FARM. 

THE   HEED    WELLS. 

THE  original  "Reed  Well"  was  struck  on  the  18th  of  July 
1864,  and  flowed  280  to  300  barrels  per  day.     The  lease  upon 


EARLY   FLOWING   WELLS.  231 

which  this  well  was  located  consisted  of  one  acre  of  land,  and  upon 
this  small  tract  the  lessees  put  down  four  wells,  all  proving  abun- 
dantly productive.  Mr.  William  Reed  was  the  original  lessee,  and 

before  he  succeeded  in  getting  down  the  first  well—"  the  Reed" 

he  was  joined  by  one  or  two  parties,  "  with  a  little  money."  After 
the  well  was  down  to  a  proper  depth,  it  had  every  appearance  of 
"  a  dry  hole."  Several  days  were  spent  in  pumping  and  testing  it, 
when  she  began  to  flow  at  the  rate  of  300  barrels,  and  continued 
to  produce  largely  for  two  or  three  years.  The  other  three  wells 
upon  this  lease  added  to  the  product  considerably,  and  in  the  end 
netted  handsome  fortunes  to  the  owners.  One-quarter  of  the  "  land 
interest,"  belonging  to  Mr.  Cresswell,  who  came  into  the  enterprise 
plethoric  with  a  lack  of  greenbacks,  was  sold  soon  after  the  first 
well  was  struck  for  $280,000,  to  the  Mingo  Oil  Company,  of  Phila- 
delphia, Mr.  C.  having  previously  realized  from  the  product  of  the 
well  $30,000!  Mr.  Reed,  after  realizing  $75,000  from  the  sale  of 
oil  from  the  well,  disposed  of  his  one-half  interest  in  the  property 
to  Bishop,  Bissell  &  Co.,  for  $200,000.  Mr.  Frazer,  who  owned 
one-quarter  of  the  property,  and  who  had  received  from  sales  of 
oil  from  the  well,  more  than  $100,000,  subsequently  disposed 
of  his  interest,  to  other  parties,  for  $100,000  !  This  in  round 
numbers  makes  a  total  of  $785,000  realized  by  the  original  pro- 
prietors, "for  the  working  interest"  of  "The  Reed  well  and 
lease,"  and  all  within  "  ninety  days  from  the  commencement  of  ope- 
rations." The  purchasers  made  money  from  their  investment,  for 
these  four  wells  continued  to  produce  largely,  two  or  three  years 
after  they  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  the  original  owners.  Multi- 
ply $785,000  by  two,  and  we  have  $1,570,000  as  the  grand  total 
realized  by  the  lessees,  and  subsequent  purchasers.  Add  to  this 
princely  sum  the  amount  received  by  the  "  land  interest,"  and  it  is 
safe  to  estimate  the  profits  of  this  one  oil  operation  at  $2,000,000, 
and  this  is  only  "  one  of  the  many  "  having  like  fabulous  history. 


232 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


TARE  FARM. 

THE  PHILLIPS  WELL  (No.  2),  Tarr  Farm,  was  struck  on  the 
14th  of  November  1861,  and  commenced  to  flow  at  the  rate  of 
3,000  barrels  per  day  !  Oil  at  this  date  was  sold  as  low  as  fifteen, 
and  even  ten  cents  per  barrel.  Thousands  of  barrels  of  the  pro- 
duct of  this  well,  for  want  of  barrels — worth  then  at  the  well  §3.50 
to  $4.00  each — ran  off  into  Oil  Creek,  or  were  allowed  to  waste  in 
various  ways.  In  December,  one  month  after  "  the  Phillips"  began 
to  flow,  she  produced  by  actual  measurement  three  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  forty  barrels  in  twenty-four  hours !  She  finally  set- 
tled down  to  2,500  to  3;000  barrels,  and  maintained  this  standard 
for  months.  The  owners  of  interests  in  this  marvellous  well  were 
accustomed  to  take  their  portion  of  the  product  by  the  hour !  A 
rude  trough,  made  of  six-inch  boards,  was  constructed  from  "  the 
Creek "  to  the  tanks,  and  as  boats  could  be  obtained,  and  sales 
made,  the  oil  was  "  let  on,"  and  run,  two,  three,  five,  or  more 
"HOURS"  in  each  owner's  interest.*  If  the  boats,  barges,  barrels 
or  tanks — supplied  as  fast  as  possible — filled  up  before  the  expira- 
tion of  the  party's  allotted  time,  the.  oil  ran  into  "  the  Creek,"  or 
upon  the  ground,  and  was  thus  wasted  and  lost. 

Samuel  Downer,  Esq.,  later  the  proprietor  of  the  Downer  Oil 
"Works  at  Corry,  was  one  day  standing  at  the  discharge  end  of  the 
leading  trough,  which  had  half  an  hour  before  been  thrown  from  a 
flat  boat  just  filled.  The  oil  was  running  into  the  Creek  in  a 
volume  as  large  as  the  trough  would  hold.  "  See  here/'  said  Mr. 
Downer,  "  don't  you  know  you  are  wasting  a  hundred  barrels  an 
hour  here?"  "Yes,"  said  the  interested  party  addressed,  "but 
what  am  I  to  do  with  it?  You  won't  give  five  cents  a  barrel  for 
it ;  and  I  can  stand  a  loss  of  five  dollars  an  hour  rather  than  let 
you  have  it  at  that  price !"  Mr.  Downer  passed  on  up  the  Creek. 

The  lessees  of  this  portion  of  the  Tarr  farm  had  obligated  them- 

*    See  Frontispiece. 


EAELY   FLOWING   WELLS.  233 

selves  to  give  "  one  half  the  oil,  and  deliver  it  to  the  land-owners 
in  barrels  !"  For  a  few  weeks  after  the  well  was  struck,  the  flow 
was  stopped  by  means  of  a  stop-cock.  The  question  of  barrels  was 
finally  adjusted,  and  the  flow  began  again,  as  above  stated,  in  De- 
cember 1861.  The  product  of  this  well  is  variously  estimated; 
some  put  it  as  high  as  750,000  barrels,  and  others  at  1,000,000 
barrels.  "The  Phillips"  flowed  for  a  year  or  more,  her  product 
lessening,  when  the  pump  was  applied,  and  she  produced  largely 
for  twelve  years,  and  was  shut  down  as  late  as  May,  1873,  when 
her  product  was  from  seven  to  ten  barrels  per  day. 

Dur&g  the  "Stock  Company  epidemic"  in  1864-5,  all  but  the 
land  interest  of  this  well  was  stocked  at  a  fabulous  sum — one  or 
two  million  dollars !  While  she  had  vigorous  life  and  marvellous 
product,  oil  was  sold  from  her  immense  wooden  tanks  as  low  as 
five  cents  per  barrel,  and  as  high  as  $13  per  barrel ! 

The  Phillips  was  491  feet  deep,  and  had  60  feet  of  oil  rock. 

THE  CRESCENT  WELL,  Tarr  farm,  was  drilled  by  JS".  S.  WOOD- 
FORD  during  the  summer  of  1861,  with  a  spring  pole,  and  to  the 
"  First  Sand."  This  was  the  first  well  put  down  upon  the  Tarr 
farm.  She  flowed  thirteen  months  and  twenty  days,  averaging  300 
barrels  per  day,  and  "  shut  oif  in  an  instant,"  and  never  afterwards 
produced  a  barrel  of  oil.  In  1871  efforts  were  made  to  resuscitate 
"the  Crescent,"  but  without  avail.  The  well  was  cleaned  out, 
drilled  deeper,  and  pumped  for  several  weeks ;  but  it  was  a  dry 
hole  !  t)uring  the  life  of  this  well,  oil  was  sold  at  such  low  rates, 
that  while  there  was  little  or  no  expense  attending  its  running, 
beyond  tankage,  not  a  dollar  of  profit  or  dividend  was  ever  realized 
by  any  one  of  its  owners.  She,  however,  paid  for  herself,  but 
the  land-owners  claim  to  have  lost  money  in  outlays  to  save  their 
portion  of  the  product. 

"  The  Woodford  Well,"  tarr  farm,  was  put  down  by  N.  S. 
WOODFORD,  in  the  winter  of  1861.  This  well  was  located  within  a 
few  rods  of  "  the  Phillips,"  and  soon  after  she  began  to  produce — 
two  thousand  barrels  per  day— the  water  flooded  "  the  Phillips," 


234 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


and  materially  affected  her  flow.  When  these  wells  became 
"pumpers/'  neither  would  give  out  oil  unless  both  were  in  motion. 
When  the  "Woodford"  shut  down,  the  "Phillips"  produced  only 
water,  and  vice  versa.  A  compromise  was  subsequently  effected  by 
which  both  wells  were  to  be  operated  at  one  and  the  same  time,  and 
each  to  have  one-third  of  the  product  of  the  other  well. 

There  were  several  large  flowing  wells  upon  the  Tarr  farm 
during  the  early  developments  there,  from  1861,  to  1863-4. 
"Phillips  No.  1.,"  struck  in  June  1861,  flowed  two  hundred 
barrels  per  day.  "  Elephant  No.  1.,"  completed  in  December, 
1861,  was  a  bountiful  producer, — six  hundred  barrels  pfer  day. 
"  The  Union,"  struck  in  April,  1862,  measured  out  three  hundred 
barrels  per  day.  "The  Eagle,"  started  off,  August  1862,  at  100 
barrels,  and  later,  August  and  September,  1864,  "  The  Cornwall," 
and  "  Sterling,"  each  produced  one  hundred  and  twenty  barrels 
per  day. 

The  great  flowing  wells  of  the  Tarr  ?arm,  in  1861  and  1862, 
were  closely  followed  by  others,  at  various  points  on  "  the  creek." 
"  The  Van  Syckel  Well,"  on  the  widow  McClintock  farm,  yielded 
one  thousand  five  hundred  barrels  per  day.  "The  Brawley  Well," 
on  the  Buchanan  farm,  one  thousand  barrels  per  day.  "  The  Blood 
Well,"  Blood  farm,  one  thousand  barrels  per  day.  "  The  Noble 
Well,"  Parrel  farm,  two  thousand  five  hundred  barrels  per  day, 
and  others  which  we  have  already  mentioned  in  more  detail,  in 
this  connection. 


EARLY  FLOWING  WELLS,  235 


PIT  HOLE  IN  1865. 

In  January,  1865,  the  famous  "  United  States  or  Frazer  Well," 
was  struck,  on  the  Thos.  Holmden  farm,  in  a  ravine  on  Pit  Hole 
Creek,  six  or  eight  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  almost  as  many  miles 
from  any  other  developments.  "  This  intelligence,"  we  quote  an 
author,  "  who  was  himself  of  the  moving  mass,"  naturally  created 
some  excitement  in  the  restless  world  of  Oildom  ;  but  the  spring 
floods  of  that  memorable  year,  as  well  as  the  attractions  to  enter- 
prising operators  afforded  by  more  accessible  localities,  for  several 
months  prevented  extensive  developments  in  the  direction  of  the 
new  discovery.  Indeed,  the  "  town "  could  boast  of  only  two 
buildings  by  the  end  of  May,  although  the  production  of  the 
United  States  Well  had  steadily  increased,  and  was  then  fully  eight 
hundred  barrels  a  day.  However,  the  beginning  of  June  wit- 
nessed the  striking  of  the  "  Grant  Well,"  a  "  spouter  "  of  twelve 
hundred  barrels  magnitude,  and  forthwith  commenced  the  rush  for 
the  inviting  hills  and  dales  of  Pit  Hole,  which  resulted  in  the  rise 
of  a  city  in  some  respects  the  most  wonderful  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
Capitalists  eager  to  invest  their  greenbacks,  thronged  in  thousands 
to  the  spot.  Labor  and  board  commanded  exorbitant  rates ;  every 
purchasable  farm  for  miles  around  was  immediately  bought  at  a 
fabulous  price ;  hundreds  of  wells  were  begun  with  the  least 
delay  possible.  New  strikes  continually  intensified  the  excitement. 
Speculators  roamed  far  and  wide  in  quest  of  a  source  of  wealth 
that  promised  to  outvie  the  golden  treasures  of  California.  The 
value  of  oil  lands  was  reckoned  by  millions ;  small  interests  in 
single  wells  brought  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars.  New 
York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  and  numberless  other  lesser 
centres,  measured  purses  in  the  insane  strife  for  territory.  Money 
circulated  like  waste  paper,  and  for  weeks  the  scene  recalled  the 
wildest  fictions  of  the  South-Sea  Bubble  or  Law's  Mississippi 
Scheme ! 


236 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


Everything  conspired  to  favor  the  growth  of  the  "  city."  The 
close  of  the  war  had  left  the  country  flooded  with  an  inflated  cur- 
rency, besides  throwing  many  thousands  of  energetic  men  upon 
their  own  resources,  and  hundreds  of  these  flocked  to  the  latest 
Oil-Dorado,  which  presented  manifold  inducements  alike  to  the 
venturesome  spirit,  the  active  speculator,  the  unscrupulous  stock- 
jobber, the  needy  laborer,  the  reckless  adventurer,  and  the  dis- 
honest trickster. 

Some  time  previously  the  Holmden  farm  had  been  purchased  for 
$25,000,  by  Prather  &  Duncan,  who  surveyed  the  greatest  portion 
into  building  lots,  that  found  ready  sale  at  figures  varying  from 
three  hundred  dollars  to  fifteen  thousand,  which  latter  sum  was 
actually  paid  for  the  site  of  the  Danforth  House.  Before  the  end 
of  September  the  improved  Chicago  boasted  a  population  variously 
estimated  at  from  twelve  to  sixteen  thousand,  including  the  daily 
average  of  transient  visitors.  The  post-office  required  seven  clerks, 
and  transacted  a  volume  of  business  that  ranked  it  third  in  the 
State,  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh  alone  surpassing  it.  Hotels, 
theatres,  saloons,  public  halls,  and  places  of  general  resort  could  be 
counted  by  the  score.  A  fire  department  was  organized ;  stores 
and  dwellings  sprang  into  existence  as  if  by  enchantment ;  a  rail- 
way to  Reno  was  projected  and  completed  almost  the  entire  distance, 
and  the  unpoetic  name  of  Pit  Hole  became  familiar  to  every  news- 
paper reader  throughout  the  civilized  world.  Incredulous  for- 
eigners, unaccustomed  to  the  "suddenness"  of  Americans,  with 
unfeigned  astonishment,  learned  that  in  the  brief  space  of  three 
short  months,  a  dense  forest  had  been  transformed  into  a  bustling 
city,  possessing  nearly  all  the  conveniences  and  appliances  of  old- 
established  towns — a  city,  the  wondrous  story  of  whose  dazzling 
rise  and  unexampled  fall  sounds  even  now  like  the  weird  romance 
of  ancient  fable.  What  a  rich  field  for  a  graphic  sketch  of  fortunes 
lost  and  won  in  an  hour,  of  strange  vicissitudes  and  extraordinary 
reverses,  of  feverish  excitement  and  unhealthy  speculation,  does  the 
history  of  Pit  Hole  offer  to  some  later  Scott  or  Dickens. 


EARLY  FLOWING   WELLS.  237 

But,  alas !  the  youthful  city  was  destined  to  decline  as  rapidly  as 
it  had  risen.  In  October  the  production  of  the  wells  fell  off 
largely ;  the  laying  of  pipe-lines  to  Titusville  and  Oleopolis  forced 
hundreds  of  teamsters  to  seek  employment  elsewhere ;  two  destruc- 
tive fires  helped  to  accelerate  the  final  disaster,  and  January  dawned 
upon  a  comparatively  deserted  city,  with  scarcely  anything  more 
than  long  rows  of  empty  buildings  to  indicate  its  former  greatness 
and  short-lived  prosperity. 

Many  of  the  finest  structures  have  since  been  removed  to  other 
places ;  not  a  vestige  of  the  first  wells  is  to  be  seen ;  the  few  hotels 
and  stores  that  yet  remain  open,  are  no  more  crowded  with  liberal 
patrons.  Occasionally  a  traveller  finds  his  way  to  the  spot,  possibly 
impelled  by  an  irresistible  desire  to  behold  again  the  scene  of  his 
disappointed  hopes  and  buried  greenbacks.  Of  the  once  busy  city, 
the  unused  engine  houses  and  derricks,  the  unoccupied  tenements 
and  unfrequented  by-ways,  are  too  often  the  only  traces  that  still 
remain,  silent,  forsaken  and  alone,  "  to  point  a  moral  or  adorn  a 
tale!" 

We  add  a  single  projected  transaction  of  the  Pit  Hole  furor  in 
1 865,  as  an  index  to  scores  of  others  of  like,  or  very  like  mammoth 
proportions. 

In  July,  1865,  Mr.  GEORGE  J.  SHERMAN,  HENRY  E.  PICKET 
and  BRIAN  PHILPOT,  then  residing  at  Titusville,  contracted  with 
Messrs.  Prather  &  Duncan,  the  owners,  for  the  purchase  of  the 
Thomas  Holmden  farm,  at  Pit  Hole,  for  $1,300,000  !  The  farm 
contained  about  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  at  the  date  of  this 
contract,  July  24th,  1865,  was  producing  3,500  barrels  of  oil  per 
day,  and  had  one  hundred  wells  going  down,  at  half  royalty,  and 
was  besides  part  and  parcel  of  the  "  city  plot "  of  Pit  Hole,  upon 
which  were  building  leases,  netting  $60,000  per  annum.  Dwell- 
ings, shops,  stores  and  hotels  were  begun  and  completed  every  day. 
The  contract  spoken  of,  was  for  the  purchase  of  this  farm,  just  as  it 
was,  and  thirty  days  were  stipulated  as  the  time  in  which  to  make 
the  first  payment  of  $300,000 ! 


238 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


Mr.  Sherman  proceeded  to  New  York  city  with  his  contract, 
survey,  statistics,  &c.,  to  interest  parties  there  in  the  scheme.  A 
few  days  subsequent  to  his  arrival  in  New  York,  he  secured  pur- 
chasers of  his  contract  from  Prather  &  Duncan,  at  $1,600,000  !  The 
preliminaries  were  all  settled  upon,  and  a  committee  of  the  pur- 
chasers was  selected  to  visit  Pit  Hole,  to  make  examinations  and 
ascertain  if  the  property  was  up  to  its  representations.  On  the 
very  day  the  committee  were  to  leave  New  York  for  the  oil  region, 
the  great  Ketchum  forgeries  were  announced,  and  as  many  of  the 
gentlemen  interested  in  this  tf Pit  Hole  oil  scheme,"  were  victims 
of  Ketch  urn's  rascality,  the  journey  was  abandoned,  and  subse- 
quently the  whole  thing  fell  through  ! 

In  this  dilemma,  Mr.  Sherman  telegraphed  to  Mr.  H.  H.  Honore, 
a  wealthy  gentleman  at  Chicago,  giving  him  an  outline  of  the  pro- 
perty he  had  for  sale,  and  urged  him  to  meet  him  at  Titusville  in 
FIVE  DAYS,  prepared  to  close  up  the  transaction.  Mr.  Honore, 
and  a  party  of  Chicago  capitalists,  made  good  Mr.  Sherman's  ap- 
pointment, and  after  going  over  the  property,  reopened  negotiations 
with  Duncan  &  Prather,  who,  in  lieu  of  the  $400,000,  cash,  stipu- 
lated as  the  first  payment,  agreed  to  take  that  amount  in  real  estate, 
situated  in  Chicago.  To  this  end  Duncan  &  Prather  were  to  visit 
Chicago,  examine  the  real  estate, — which  was  to  be  priced  by  dis- 
interested parties — and  close  up  the  sale.  Delays  followed — Messrs. 
Duncan  &  Prather  were  a  week  or  more  in  reaching  Chicago,  and 
once  there,  they  hesitated,  and  finally  declined  to  receive  real  estate 
in  Chicago  as  payment  for  their  property.  Among  the  many  valu- 
able properties  offered  was  Honore's  block,  adjoining  the  Tremont 
House— at  $175,000— since  valued  at  $350,000  ! 

The  contract  for  the  sale  of  the  Holmden  property  had  been  re- 
newed and  the  time  extended  two  weeks!  This  extension  had 
only  about  five  days'  life — and  a  Sunday  intervened !  Messrs. 
Duncan  &  Prather  had  left  for  St.  Louis,  intending  to  return  home 
on  the  following  Tuesday.  Judge  Beckwith,  the  attorney  for  the 
Sherman  party,  advised  a  tender  of  the  first  payment,  $400,000,  in 


EAKLY   FLOWING   WELLS.  239 

greenbacks !  This  was  late  Saturday  evening.  On  the  Tuesday 
following,  the  $400,000  had  been  obtained,  and  Mr.  Sherman, 
Joshua  A.  Ellis,  President  Second  National  Bank,  Chicago,  John 
G.  La  Moyne,  and  Mr.  Honore,  started  for  Titusville,  with  their 
treasure  for  a  legal  tender  !  The  contract  required  that  the  first 
payment  should  be  "  made  upon  the  Holmden  Farm ! "  The 
party  had  reached  Titusville  with  their  valuables  in  safety.  Pit 
Hole  was  twelve  miles  distant,  and  the  country  was  just  then  in- 
fested by  highwaymen  of  the  meaner  sort.  Each  of  the  gentle- 
men named  provided  himself  with  a  pocket-pistol,  and  mounting 
horses — the  $400,000  equally  divided  between  them — they  set  out 
for  Pit  Hole.  "  It  was  the  last  day  in  the  afternoon,"  and  late  at 
that,  when  the  party  reached  Prather  &  Duncan's  banking  office. 
They  ejitered,  made  known  the  object  of  their  coming,  and  there- 
upon laid  upon  the  bank's  counter,  in  full  view  of  Messrs.  Prather 
&  Duncan,  $400,000  as  a  legal-tender  for  the  first  payment  as  re- 
quired by  the  contract ! 

The  tender  was  declined !  Messrs.  Prather  &  Duncan  claimed 
that  the  life  of  the  contract  expired  with  the  setting  sun,  of  that 
very  day,  and  they  would  listen  to  no  further  negotiations  !  Suit 
was  soon  after  commenced  in  the  United  States  District  Court  at 
Pittsburgh,  which  finally  terminated  in  a  compromise,  by  which 
the  Honore  party  obtained  title  to  seven-eighths  of  the  Holmden 
farm  property. 

Soon  after  the  tender  was  made,  Mr.  Samuel  J.  Walker,  of  Chi- 
cago, now  one  of  the  largest  real  estate  operators  in  the  west,  be- 
came interested  in  the  transaction,  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  the 
seven-eighths  interest  in  the  Holmden  farm,  as  also  of  the  Copeland 
farm  adjoining.  The  sum  paid  for  the  seven-eighths  interest  in 
the  Holmden  farm  is  not  known  to  the  writer  of  this. 

Pit  Hole,  however,  developed  a  great  many  flowing  wells,  a  few 
of  which  we  make  brief  mention  of  hereafter. 


240  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


«  THE^UNITED  STATES  WELL." 

This  well  was  located  on  the  Thomas  Holmden  farm,  and  was 
the  property  of  the  United  States  Oil  Company,  struck  on  the  7th 
of  January,  1865.  The  well  flowed  at  the  rate  of  650  barrels  at 
the  start,  and  continued  to  flow,  gradually  falling  off  for  quite  ten 
months.  The  well  ceased  to  flow  November  10,  1865.  The  same 
farm  developed  other  great  producers.  Among  the  most  noted 
wereHhe  "Twin  Wells"— 800  barrels  per  day.  "No.  54,"  800 
barrels  per  day.  "  The  Grant  well,"  450  barrels  per  day.  "  The 
Eureka  well,"  800  barrels  per  day.  None  of  these,  however, 
"  held  up  "  their  product  beyond  six  to  ten  months.  The  daily 
product  of  the  Holmden  farm  for  some  time  during  the  season  of 
1865,  was  3,685  barrels  per  day. 

Upon  the  Hooker  farm,  adjoining  the  Holmden,  were  several 
large  "  flowers,"  during  the  summer  of  1865.  Among  the  most  noted 
were  the  J.  R.  Johnson,  "  No.  110,"  which  spouted  out  800  bar- 
rels per  day;  "No.  15,"  the  property  of  Pratt  &  Suniner,  which 
produced  400  barrels  daily,  and  "No.  108,"  400  barrels  a  day. 
Nos.  18  and  147,  each  200  barrels  daily.  The  daily  product  of 
the  Rooker  farm  for  several  mouths  was  2,230  barrels.  Leases  of 
one  acre  upon  this  farm  were  sold  as  high  as  $3,000  and  one-half 
the  oil ! 

"  The  Homestead  well,"  at  Pit  Hole,  located  upon  the  Hyner 
farm,  was  among  the  "great  flowers"  of  1865,  in  this  prolific  ter- 
ritory. This  well  started  off  at  500  barrels  daily.  "  The  Ar- 
ietta "  flowed  250  barrels  per  day,  and  "  The  Stevenson,  No.  2," 
produced  175  barrels  per  day.  But  these  wells,  as  "  flowers," 
lasted  only  about  three  months. 

"  The  Burtiss  Well "  was  struck  late  in  the  summer  of  1865.  It 
was  located  on  the  Copeland  farm,  Pit  Hole,  and  flowed  from  the 
start,  and  for  months  after,  quite  800  barrels  per  day.  Besides 
"  the  Burtiss,"  there  were  upon  this  farm  three  other  flowing  wells. 
" The  Rice  Well"  gave  out  300  barrels  a  day;  "No.  1,"  150  bar- 


.  fcABLY  PLOWING  WELLS.  241 

rels  per  day,  and  the  "  Clara  Well "  ran  up  to  300  barrels  per  day 
for  nearly  four  months. 


FIRST  FLOWING  WELL. 

The  first  "  flowing  well " — at  least,  the  first  we  have  any  know- 
ledge of — in  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  was  obtained  in  the 
summer  of  1860,  upon  the  Archie  Buchanan  farm,  near  Rou  Seville. 
It  was  called  the  "  Curtis  well,"  and  was  a  little  less  than  200  feet 
deep.  No  tubing  was  then  used,  and  only  partial  efforts  were 
made  to  save  the  oil.  The  surface  water  was  allowed  to  run  into 
the  well;  and  after  a  short  season  of  flowing,  "the  Curtis"  ceased 
to  be. 


OLDEST  PRODUCING  WELL  IN  THE  REGION. 

Near  to  the  track  of  the  Oil  Creek  and  Allegany  Valley  Railroad 
at  Rouseville,  Venango  Co.,  Pa.,  on  the  Buchanan  farm,  is  situated 
the  oldest  well  of  the  region,  having  now  produced  oil  for  a  period 
of  nearly  fourteen  years.  This  well  was  put  down  by  Messrs. 
Rouse  and  Mitchel,  the  pioneer  operators  on  the  Buchanan  farm. 
It  was  drilled  only  to  the  first  sand,  and  pumped  for  several 
months  at  the  rate  of  eight  barrels  per  day,  when  it  was  sold  to  a 
Mr.  Porter,  who  put  it  down  to  the  third  sand,  and  obtained  a 
production  of  three  hundred  barrels  per  day,  which  lasted  for  seve- 
ral months,  when  it  again  declined.  The  well  occasionally  changed 
ownership,  until  in  1865,  it  passed  through  the  hands  of  the  Sheriff, 
into  possession  of  the  First  National  Oil  Company,  and  was  dis- 
posed of  by  them  to  Gould  and  Stowell.  For  some  years,  it  pro- 
duced from  4  to  6  barrels  per  day,  up  to  the  latter  end  of  1872. 
At  present,  it  is  producing  some  two  barrels  per  day.  It  is  unques- 
tionably the  oldest  producing  well  in  the  region,  and  dates  back  to 
the  earliest  period  of  the  oil  operations  following  the  success  of  the 
Drake  well.  This  well,  though  of  small  average  production,  has 

produced  upwards  of  a  quarter  million  dollars'  worth  of  oil ! 
16 


242  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

EXTENT  OF  THE  OIL  REGION. 

The  area  of  a  rectangle  which  will  embrace  all  the  territory  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region,  from  which  oil  has  yet  been  obtained 
is  about  2,000  square  miles ;  but  the  whole  number  of  acres  which 
have  yet  produced  oil  does  not  exceed  6,500,  equal  to  ten  square 
miles,  or  a  two-hundredth  part  of  what  is  known  as  the  oil  region. 

PRODUCTION — AN    ESTIMATE. 

The  region  produced  during  the  year  1872,  6,539,000  barrels. 
This  amount  of  oil  would  fill  79,150  cars,  making  a  train  446 
miles  in  length.  It  is  estimated  that  the  total  production  previous 
to  1871  was  about  33,500,000  barrels,  or  a  total  up  to  January  1st, 
1873,  of  45,789,000  barrels.  This  quantity  of  oil  would  fill  540,- 
548  cars,  making  a  train  nearly  3,507  miles  in  length. 


VARIETIES   OF   PETROLEUM.  243 


VARIETIES  OF  PETROLEUM. 


PENNSYLVANIA  OILS.— QUALITY   AND  VARIETY. 

THE  oil  found  in  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region  is,  for  the  most 
part,  of  a  greenish  color,  and  by  some  considered  of  a  rather 
unpleasant  odor.  The  specific  gravity  ranges  from  .820  to  .782, 
or  from  proof  40°  to  proof  48°  Beaume.  The  oil  yields  by  distilla- 
tion from  seventy  to  eighty-five  per  cent,  of  illuminating  oil,  which, 
when  properly  manufactured,  should  not  vaporize  and  inflame 
under  a  temperature  of  110°  to  116°  Fahrenheit. 

Of  lubricating  oil  produced  in  the  Franklin  district,  the  specific 
gravity  varies  from  .880  to  .860,  or  from  proof  28°  to  32°  Beaume. 

The  Oil  of  Pennsylvania  varies  somewhat  in  color  in  the  differ- 
ent districts  and  in  the  different  sand  rocks.  The  black  oil  district 
of  Pleasantville,  is  so  called  from  the  fact  that  the  oil  is  of  a  dark, 
inky,  greenish  color.  This  district  extends  from  a  little  north-east 
of  Pleasantville  to  the  Story  farm  on  Oil  Creek,  taking  a  north- 
east and  south-west  direction,  and  is  in  extent,  so  far  as  developed, 
about  twelve  miles  in  length  and  half  a  mile  wide. 

It  is  claimed  by  oil  men  that  the  rock  in  which  the  black  oil  is 
found  is  not  the  regular  oil-producing  sand  rock ;  they  term  it  a 
stray  rock,  as  green  oil  is  found  in  a  lower  sand  on  the  same  land. 

On  the  eastern  portion,  or  upon  the  lands  of  the  Shamburg  and 
Cherry  Run  Petroleum  Companies,  is  the  dividing  line  between 
the  green  oil  and  the  black.  The  line  is  defined  sharply,  as  if  by 
a  plummet.  The  rock  in  which  the  black  oil  is  found  is  nominally 
thinner  than  the  green  oil  sand  rock. 

The  cause  of  this  coloring  of  the  oil  is  reasonably  attributed  to 
the  metallic  composition  of  the  sand  rock,  it  being  largely  impreg- 
nated with  oxide  of  iron.  In  the  Modoc  and  Millerstown  districts 


244 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


the  oil  is  of  an  amber  color,  with  a  very  slight  greenish  tinge.  As 
before  stated,  oil  differs  in  color  and,  to  a  slight  extent,  in  gravity 
in  the  different  sand-rocks,  which,  we  think,  can  be  fairly  accounted 
for  by  the  presence  of  iron  in  the  composition  of  the  rocks. 


THE  FRANKLIN  LUBRICATING  OIL  DISTRICT. 

The  Franklin  lubricating  oil  district,  lies  in  and  around  the  city 
of  Franklin,  and  is  made  up,  for  the  most  part,  by  the  territory 
lying  between  and  including  Patchen  Run,  and  Two  Mile  Run. 
The  line  or  belt  of  the  most  important  developments,  is  about  one 
hundred  rods  wide,  and  so  far  as  developed,  two  miles  in  length, 
and  includes  the  following  farms  :  Hyde  and  Blakely  farm,  Geo. 
P.  Smith  farm,  McCalmont  tract,  Lamberton,  Galloway,  Dr.  Fee, 
and  Fee,  Kunkle  &  Go's.  farm. 

Soon  after  the  striking  the  Drake  well,  Mr.  Evans,  a  blacksmith 
by  trade,  sank  a  well  on  the  lot  on  which  he  resided,  within  the 
Borough  limits.  The  well  was  put  down  at  first  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  water,  and  at  the  depth  of  seventeen  feet,  a  vein  of  water 
/was  struck,  which  soon  became  covered  with  a  thick  scum  of 
oil,  so  as  to  render  the  water  almost  unfit  for  use.  On  learning 
that  Drake  had  obtained  oil  by  drilling  into  the  sand  rock,  he 
concluded  to  do  likewise.  Not  having  the  means  to  procure  the 
necessary  implements,  to  carry  his  resolution  into  effect,  he  was 
obliged  to  seek  for  assistance,  but  for  some  time  his  efforts  were  in 
vain.  Finally  a  merchant  in  Franklin,  who  became  enlisted  in 
the  enterprise,  sold  him  iron  on  credit,  and  he  manufactured  the 
tools  himself.  He  then  erected  a  derrick,  and,  by  means  of  a 
spring-pole,  bored  the  well  to  the  depth  of  seventy-two  feet,  when 
he  struck  a  heavy  vein  of  oil.  He  then  put  down  the  tubing,  and 
commenced  pumping  by  hand,  with  a  common  pump,  at  the  rate 
of  twenty  barrels  per  day,  and  which  he  readily  sold  for  thirty 


THE    FRANKLIN   LUBRICATING   OIL   DISTRICT.  245 

dollars  per  barrel.  The  success  of  the  well  occasioned  considera- 
ble excitement.  A  writer  at  the  time  says,  "  The  town  almost  in- 
voluntarily poured  forth  its  inhabitants  to  witness  the  natural  curi- 
osity. The  attendants  at  court  (which  was  then  in  session)  went 
into  a  "committee  of  the  whole,"  on  the  state  of  the  oleaginous 
condition  of  the  country,  and  adjourned  to  the  Evans  well.  At- 
torneys, jurymen,  and  witnesses  who  were  concerned  in  the  various 
cases  then  pending  in  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  suddenly 
became  a  self-constituted  judicial  tribunal  to  decide  upon  the  merits 
of  this  uncommon  cause  of  public  excitement."' 

Mr.  Evans,  having  raised  in  a  few  days,  money  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  purchase  an  engine,  he  commenced  pumping  by 
steam-power.  The  yield  of  the  well  was  variously  estimated  at 
from  sixty  to  two  hundred  barrels  in  twenty-four  hours.  He  was 
offered  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  an  undivided  half-interest  in  his 
well,  and  refused  the  offer,  as  his  income  then  was  probably  not 
less  than  two  thousand  dollars  per  day. 

This  well  has  earned  the  fame  of  giving  occasion  for  the  famous 
saying  :  "  Dad's  struck  ile."  The  story  is  vouched  for  as  true, 
and  runs  as  follows :  Mr.  Evans  had  a  daughter,  who  was  courted 
by  a  young  man  living  near  by,  and  the  course  of  their  love  ran 
smoothly  enough,  until  the  ill-starred  day  when  the  damsel's  father 
reached  the  "  third  sand,"  and  success  in  his  well.  On  the  even- 
ing of  this  day,  the  swain,  not  dreaming  of  anything  less  pleasant, 
than  moonlight  and  love,  called  on  his  sweetheart,  and  was  met 
coldly  at  the  door,  and  promptly  informed,  that  he  needn't  trouble 
himself  to  come  there  any  more,  for  "  Dad  has  struck  ile !" 

The  quality  of  the  oil  obtained  in  this  district,  is  not  the  com- 
mon illuminating  oil,  but  lubricating  oil  of  nearly  the  best  quality, 
being  little  inferior  to  the  best  West  Virginia  oil,  which  is  twenty- 
eight  degrees  gravity,  while  that  of  Franklin  ranges  from  30°  to 
32°,  and  is  now  taking  the  lead  in  the  markets  of  the  world,  as 
a  lubricator. 

At  the  present  time,  the  production  is  estimated  at  900  barrels 


246  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

per  day.  The  largest  production  having  been  reached  in  the  early 
part  of  the  present  year,  amounting  to  1,250  barrels  per  day,  which 
was  caused  by  the  striking  of  a  number  of  large  wells  on  the 
Galloway  farm,  one  of  which  produced  150  barrels  per  day.  The 
number  of  wells  now  pumping,  will  reach  about  150,  many  of  which 
produced  between  forty  and  fifty  barrels  each,  per  day.  Not  a  few 
of  the  wells,  included  in  the  above  estimate,  have  been  in  operation 
from  three  to  ten  years,  quite  a  number  of  which  produce  a  very 
small  quantity  of  oil,  but  such  wells  are  only  pumped  "  by  heads  " 
— once,  twice  or  three  times  a  day. 

That  part  of  the  Lubricating  District,  on  Two-Mile  Run,  a 
large  portion  of  which  was  recently  purchased  by  W.  S.  Mc- 
Mullen,  produces  oil  of  28°  to  30°  gravity,  equal  to  the  best 
West  Virginia  oil.  The  gentleman  referred  to,  is  now  making- 
preparations  to  refine  the  oil  produced  on  his  own  territory. 

The  depth  of  the  wells  in  this  district  averages  from  260  to  700 
feet.  The  oil-bearing  sand  rock  is  from  50  to  80  feet  in  thickness, 
being  an  open  pebbly  rock. 

The  manufacture  or  refining  of  lubricating  oils,  has  for  years 
been  an  important  industry  at  Franklin.  "  The  Eclipse  Lubricating 
Oil  Works,"  are  located  here,  and  when  fully  completed  will  be  the 
most  extensive  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  will  have  a  capacity 
of  1,000  barrels  per  day.  At  the  present  time  the  company  have  a 
capacity  of  about  450  barrels,  and  generally  keep  the  concern 
run  up  to  this  point.  A  ready  market  is  found  for  the  oils  in 
England,  Prussia,  Austria  and  Russia.  The  company  are  now 
making  arrangements  for  supplying  the  governments  of  Prussia 
and  Russia  for  use  on  railroads,  arsenals,  navy,  and  other  .public 
works.  Oils  were  exhibited  by  the  company  at  the  Vienna  Ex- 
position, and  were  awarded  a  First  Medal  and  Certificate  for 
Lubricating  Oils  made  from  Petroleum.  We  ought  here  to  ob- 
serve that  the  mode  of  refining  adopted  at  these  works  is  under 
patent,  granted  to  H.  W.  C.  Tweddle,  the  general  manager  of  the 
company,  which  latter  own  the  patents  and  use  them  exclusively. 


THE   FRANKLIN   LUBRICATING  OIL   DISTRICT.  247 

An  interesting  feature  of  this  company  is,  that  the  President, 
Directors  and  stockholders  control  the  eight-tenths  of  the  whole 
production.  The  stockholders  are  thus  at  the  same  time  pro- 
ducers and  refiners. 

The  manufacture  of  railroad  axle  oils  is  made  a  speciality. 

Capital  stock  of  the  company  is  $200,000.  The  following  are 
a  list  of  the  company's  officers : 

A.  G.  EGBERT,  President, 

CHAS.  W.  MACKEY,   Vice-President, 

H.  "W.  C.  TWEDDLE,   Genl.  Manager, 

W.  H.  HOWARD,  Secretary, 

W.  M.  N.  HAYES,   Treasurer, 

Hon.  JOHN  S.  MC€ALMONT,  Solicitor. 

The  second  refinery  of  importance  at  Franklin  is  "The  GALENA 
LUBRICATING  OIL  WORKS.V  This  company  has  a  capacity  of  600 
barrels  per  week,  and  they  are  well  and  favorably  known  for  the 
excellent  character  of  their  oils.  They  have  a  quick  market  for 
their  products  in  the  east,  as  well  as  in  the  western  states. 

There  are  a  number  of  smaller  establishments  at  Oil  City 
and  Franklin,  of  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  give  an  extended 
notice. 


248 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM*. 


DEILLING  OIL  WELLS. 

EARLY  AND  LATER  METHODS  OF  DEVELOPMENT. 

In  another  part  of  this  work  we  have  made  mention  of  the  fact 
that  the  mode  of  operating  or  mining  petroleum  was  borrowed  from 
the  plan  adopted  by  salt  miners  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  To 
a  great  extent,  the  system  of  boring  deep  wells  had  been  perfected 
long  before  the  discovery  of  petroleum,  so  that  the  early  operator 
had  all  the  necessary  appliances  with  which  successfully  to  demon- 
strate the  existence  of  oil  in  the  rocks  underneath  the  surface  of  the 
earth ;  had  it  not  been  for  the  knowledge  of  the  plan  of  artesian 
boring,  it  is  not  unlikely,  that  the  discovery  of  this  most  valuable 
article  would  have  been  indefinitely  postponed. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  drilling  tools  and  other  mining  apparatus 
used  by  salt  miners,  but  in  a  more  modified  and  simple  form,  fur- 
nished all  that  was  requisite  for  testing  and  obtaining  the  rich 
deposits  of  oil  that  had  lain  hidden  and  almost  unknown  for  so 
many  years. 

For  some  years  operators  were  content  with  very  shallow  depths ; 
indeed  it  was  not  necessary  to  go  deeper,  or  take  higher  ground  for 
sinking  wells,  as  the  few  hundred  feet  to  which  they  went  gave  as 
much  oil  as  the  markets,  or  the  necessities  of  the  demand  required. 
Various  kinds  of  power  were  employed.  The  most  primitive  and 
most  laborious,  was  that  of  the  "spring-pole,"  which  has  been 
described  as  follows : 

"The  spring-pole  consisted  of  a  green  sapling,  some  forty  feet  in 
length  and  ten  inches  in  diameter,  with  the  butt  end  made  fast  in 
the  ground,  or  attached  to  an  upright  pole.  A  second  post,  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  from  the  butt,  acted  as  a  fulcrum,  while  the  pole  passed 
over  the  well,  and  about  ten  -feet  above  it.  The  boring  implements 
were  attached  to  this  pole,  and  the  "power"  adjusted  near  its 
smaller  extremities.  This  was  applied  by  the  strength  of  two  men 
throwing  jtheir  weight  upon  the  pole.  Sometimes  a  small  wooden 


DRILLING  OIL   WELLS.  249 

staging,  four  feet  square,  was  hinged  by  one  of  its  sides  to  the  der- 
rick, and  the  other  side  suspended  to  the  pole.  In  this  case  the 
two  men  stood  on  the  staging,  and  brought  down  the  pole  by  throw- 
ing their  weight  on  the  side  next  to  the  derrick.  In  either  case 
the  spring  of  the  pole  brought  up  the  implements,  while  the  down- 
ward motion  of  the  pole  permitted  the  stroke.  The  general  term 
for  this  method  of  drilling  a  well,  was  "jigging  it  down,"  from 
its  resemblance  to  the  dance,  so  styled. 

"  Kicking  down  a  well,"  another  process  used  in  the  early  days 
of  the  business,  which  was  done  at  the  expense  of  a  great  deal  of 
human  muscle.  A  short,  elastic  pole,  ash  or  hickory,  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  in  length,  was  arranged  over  the  well,  working  over  a  fulcrum, 
to  the  end  of  which  was  attached  stirrups,  in  which  two  or  three 
men,  each  placed  a  foot,  and  by  a  kind  of  kicking  process  brought 
down  the  pole,  and  produced  the  motion  necessary  to  work  the  bit. 
By  this  process  the  strokes  were  rapid. 

Horse- power  was  used,  of  different  patterns,  suitable  for  one 
horse,  and  sometimes  for  two  or  three.  They  resembled  in  their 
general  features  the  horse-power  of  a  threshing-machine,  the  horses 
walking  around  the  centre,  and  over  a  dumbling-shaft,  that  gave 
the  necessary  perpendicular  motion.  Water-power  was  used  in 
many  instances,  at  very  trifling  cost  to  the  operator. 

Stearn-power  next  came  into  general  use,  which  greatly  reduced 
the  labor  and  facilitated  the  work  of  the  miners.  Year  by  year, 
we  might  almost  say,  day  by  day  improvements  have  been  made  on 
all  things  used  in  mining  petroleum.  The  derrick  has  grown  from 
30  feet  to  64,  and  even  to  80  and  90  feet  in  height.  Formerly  it 
was  built  of  rough  poles,  or  hewn  timber,  the  bottom  being  10  to 
12  feet  square;  the  poles,  four  in  number,  being  erected  at  each 
corner,  converging  toward  each  other,  forming  a  square  at  the  top, 
of  two  and  a  half  feet,  with  girths  and  braces  at  suitable  distances, 
to  make  the  structure  substantial.  Derricks  are  now  made  of 
sawed  boards,  two  inches  thick  and  eight  inches  wide,  the  edges  being 
spiked  together,  forming  a  half  square,  on  each  corner  of  the  foun- 


250 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


dation,  which  is  usually  from  16  to  18  feet  square.  With  the 
increased  depth  of  boring,  the  derrick  has  grown  stronger  and 
higher,  and  in  the  same  ratio  the  drilling  tools  have  grown  in 
weight  from  150  pounds  to  2,000  pounds!  Formerly  it  was  no 
unusual  thing  for  the  driller  to  take  his  set  of  tools  in  his  hands 
and  start  out  to  look  for  a  job — now  it  requires  one  and  oftentimes 
two  teams  to  haul  the  tools  to  the  point  of  operation. 

The  pumping  apparatus,  valves,  rods  and  the  like,  have  been 
much  improved  during  late  years.  And  many  devices,  invaluable 
to  the  operator,  have  been  brought  into  use.  We  would  instance 
the  process  of  "  casing,"  which  is  now  always  used  in  wells,  and 
obviates  the  necessity  of  breaking  the  seed-bag  in  drawing  tubing. 
By  the  use  of  casing  the  well  is  never  allowed  to  flood  with  fresh 
water,  which  flooding,  experience  has  demonstrated  to  be  of  great 
injury  to  wells. 

Early  wells  had  a  bore  of  four  inches.  At  present  the  usual 
bore  is  from  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter. 

By  the  many  improvements  in  the  mode  of  drilling  and  pumping, 
the  business  of  operating  in  oil  has  been  shorn  of  nearly  all  its 
drawbacks.  The  industry  is  now  reduced  to  a  legitimate  basis, 
and  though  it  is  said  that  more  lose  money,  than  make  by  it,  we 
are  convinced  that  no  other  enterprise  in  the  country  can  show  a 
less  percentage  of  failures,  and  few  can  exhibit  so  many  substantial 
successes, 


Ill* 


Before  Explosion. 


After  Explosion. 


THE  EGBERTS  TORPEDO. 


TOBPEDOES.  251 


TORPEDOES. 


THEIE  HISTORY  AND  POSITIVE  VALUE. 

"  THE  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM"  would  be  singularly  incomplete 
without  mention  of  the  Roberts  Torpedo,  for  to  this  remarkable  in- 
vention may  be  attributed,  more  than  to  any  other  agency,  the  success 
which  has  attended  its  prosecution.  "We  propose,  therefore,  to  pre- 
sent, as  concisely  as  possible,  a  history  of  this  invention,  from  its 
inception  to  the  present  time. 

In  1862,  Col.  E.  A.  L.  Roberts,  then  an  officer  in  the  volunteer 
service,  and  with  his  regiment  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  front 
of  Fredericksburg,  conceived  the  idea  of  exploding  torpedoes  in 
oil  wells,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  production.  He  made 
drawings  of  his  invention,  and  in  November,  1864,  made  applica- 
tion for  letters  patent.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  constructed 
six  torpedoes,  and  on  the  2d  of  January,  1865,  he  visited  Titus- 
ville  to  make  his  first  experiment.  Col.  Roberts'  theory  was  re- 
ceived with  general  disfavor,  and  no  one  desired  to  test  its  practica- 
bility at  the  risk,  it  was  supposed,  of  damaging  a  well.  On  the 
21st  of  January,  however,  Col.  R.  persuaded  Capt.  Mills  to  permit 
him  to  operate  on  the  Ladies'  Well,  on  Watson  Flats,  near  Titus- 
ville.  Two  torpedoes  were  exploded  in  this  well,  when  it  com- 
menced to  flow  oil  and  paraffine.  Great  excitement  of  course  fol- 
lowed this  successful  experiment,  and  brought  the  torpedo  into  gen- 
eral notice.  The  result  was  published  in  the  papers  of  the  oil  re- 
gion, and  five  or  six  applications  for  patenting  the  same  invention 
were  immediately  filed  at  Washington.  Several  suits  for  interfer- 
ence were  commenced,  which  lasted  over  two  years,  and  decisions  in 
all  cases  were  rendered  declaring  Col.  Roberts  the  original  inventor. 

Notwithstanding  the  success  of  the  first  experiment,  operators 


252 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


were  still  very  skeptical  as  to  the  practical  advantages  of  torpedoes, 
and  it  was  not  till  the  fall  of  1865,  that  they  would  permit  the  in- 
ventor to  operate  in  their  wells  to  any  extent,  from  fear  that  the  ex- 
plosion would  fill  them  with  rock  and  destroy  their  productiveness. 
In  December,  1866,  however,  Col.  R.  exploded  a  torpedo  in 
what  was  known  as  the  "  Woodin  "Well,"  on  the  Blood  farm  This 
w^ll  was  a  "dry  hole,"  never  having  produced  any  oil.  The  re- 
sult of  the  operation  secured  a  production  of  twenty  barrels  per 
day,  and  in  the  following  month,  January,  1867,  a  second  torpedo 
was  exploded,  which  brought  up  the  production  to  eighty  barrels. 
This  established  for  the  torpedo,  beyond  question,  all  that  Col. 
Roberts  had  claimed,  and  immediately  the  demand  for  them  be- 
came general  throughout  the  region.  "We  present  below  a  tabular 
statement  of  the  result  of  the  first  THIRTY-EIGHT  wells  torpedoed  : 


THE   RESULTS   OF   THE   TORPEDO. 


NAME  AND  LOCATION  OF  WELLS. 


Increase  Pumping  & 
Bills.      Flowing. 


Woodin  Well,  Blood  Farm  .........................................  ............................ 

Two  Wells  for  Mr.  Archer,  Tarr  farm  ........................................................ 

Tarr  Homestead,  No.  1  .....................................  .......................................... 

Tarr  Homestead,  No.  2  ............................................................................. 

Monitor  Well,  No.  2  .................................................................................. 

Vogan  ...................................................................................................... 

Keystone  Well  ......     .........  ........................................................................ 

Sherman  Homestead  Well  ........................................................................ 

Manhattan  Well,  Story  Farm  .................................................................... 

Clara  Well,  Pit  Hole,  no  increase,  but  made  the  Andy  Johnson  well  flow 
Burnett  Well,  Tarr  Farm  .........................................  .-.  ............................... 

Gardner's  Well,  Pioneer  Run.  ................................................................... 

A.  Aldrich,  Tip  Top  Well,  Tarr  Farm  ......................................................... 

Smith  Well,  Tarr  Farm  ............................................................................ 

Hawkin's  Well,  Petroleum  Centre  ............................................................ 

Anderson  Well,  Petroleum  Centre  ............................................................ 

Monitor,  Well  No.  1,.  Tarr  Farm.    Two  Torpedoes  .................................... 

Mahaffy  Well,  Petroleum  Centre  ............................................................. 

Ennis  Well,  Cherry  Run....  ....................................................................... 

Hunter  Well,  Story  Farm  ..........................  .............................................. 

Hamburgh  Oil  Co.,  Story  Farm  ................................................................. 

Morse  Well,  Blood  Farm  ........................................................................... 

Woodin  Well,  Blood  Farm  (second  time)  .................................................. 

No.  8  Well,  John  Rynd  Farm  ................................................................... 

Hyde  Well,  Story  Farm  ........................................................................... 

Mitchell  Well  Cherry  Run  ...................................................  .  .................. 

Parker  Well,  No.  1,  Tarr  Farm  .................................................................. 

Bakery  Well,  No.  1,  Tarr  Farm  ................................................................. 

Columbia  Oil  Co.,  Story  Farm  ................................................................... 

Refinery  Well,  Blood  Farm  .........................................  :  ............................ 

Tarr  Reserve  Well,  Tarr  Fajm  ................................................................. 

Blanchard  Well.  Blood  Farm  ........................................................... 

Catskill  Well,  Cherry  Run  ...................................  ...................... 

Duff  Well,  Tarr  Farm  ....................................................  ........................ 

Mahaffy,  No.  2,  Petroleum  Centre  ....................................................  .  ......... 

Hays'  Well,  Petroleum  Centre  .................................................................. 

Bnggs  &  Severence  Well,  Church  Run  ..................................................... 

Anderson  Well,  Petroleum  Centre  (second  time)  ...................................... 

No.  272  Well,  Petroleum  Centre  (second  time)  .............  «  ............................ 


80 
60 
60 
65 
35 
30 
185 
60 
75 
150 
65 
8 

35 
10 
20 
90 
10 
4 
35 
20 
30 
30 
30 
75 
35 
10- 
125 
200 
10 
10 
35 
30 
15 
90 
10 
30 
40 
125 
200 


Pumping 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Flowing 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 

Pumping 


TORPEDOES.  253 

In  1865,  immediately  after  operating  on  the  Ladies'  Well,  a  com- 
pany was  organized  in  New  York  for  the  purpose  of  prosecuting 
the  business,  with  the  following  officers : 

President,  WILLIAM  S.  FOGG,   24  Fulton  Street. 
Vice-President,  JAMES  W.  SIMONTON,  145  Broadway. 
Secretary,  W.  B.  ROBERTS,  47  Bond  Street. 
Treasurer,  ERASTUS  TITUS,  283  Washington  Street. 
Counsel,  HON.  GILBERT  DEAN,  74  and  76  Wall  Street 
Superintendent,  COL.  E.  A.  L.  ROBERTS,  Titusville,  Pa. 

TRUSTEES  :  Walter  B.  Roberts,  Wm.  H.  Dwinelle,  M.  D.,  A. 
G.  Trask,  Erastus  Titus,  Gilbert  Dean,  Wm.  S.  Fogg,  Erastus 
Titus,  Jr.,  Wm.  H.  Akin,  James  W.  Simonton,  Wm.  H.  Chap- 
man, E.  A.  L.  Roberts. 

About  the  time  the  Woodin  Well  was  struck  (1866,)  the  wells  of 
the  region  had  materially  decreased,  and  but  little  oil  was  pro- 
duced. There  was  a  general  apprehension  that  the  territory  had  been 
drained  and  would  soon  be  quite  exhausted,  unless  new  belts  were 
discovered.  But  the  application  of  torpedoes  immediately  effected 
a  revolution,  and  during  the  summer  of  1867,  the  wells  on  Oil 
Creek  were  increased  several  thousand  barrels.  Immediately  there- 
after Col.  ROBERTS  introduced  nitro-glycerme  as  an  explosive  for 
his  torpedoes,  and  established  a  manufactory  near  Titusville,  and 
during  the  last  year  (1872,)  some  twenty-five  tons  qf  this  compound 
were  used  for  this  purpose  alone. 

.  The  developments  of  Tidioute,  Shamburg  and  other  districts  fol- 
lowed the  operations  of  1866,  and  the  employment  of  torpedoes 
continued  with  the  same  striking  success.  And  it  may  be  safely 
stated  that  up  to  the  present  time  nearly  one-third  of  the  oil  pro- 
duction has  been  dependent  upon  the  use  of  this  invention. 

In  the  summer  of  1866,  infringements  commenced  by  different 
parties  throughout  the  oil  region,  and  suits  were  instituted  by  Col. 
R.  against  the  parties  and  injunctions  granted.  In  1868,  the  Reed 


254  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

Torpedo  Company  was  organized,  with  several  oil  operators  at 
its  head,  for  the  purpose  of  infringing  and  breaking  down  the 
Roberts  patent.  Suits  were  commenced  by  Col.  R.  against  all 
parties  and  carried  to  a  final  hearing  before  Judge  Grier  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  decisions  given  in  favor  of  Roberts,  and  judgments 
rendered  to  the  amount  of  about  $10,000.  Numerous  other  suits 
were  commenced  and  final  judgment  rendered,  among  which  was 
one  against  James  Dickey,  which  was  tried  before  Justices  Strong 
and  McKennan  in  Washington,  in  January,  1871.  An  elaborate 
opinion  was  rendered  in  this*  case  in  favor  of  Roberts.  The  case 
was  regarded  with  great  interest  in  the  oil  region,  from  the 
magnitude  of  the  considerations  involved,  and  the  newspaper 
controversies  upon  the  subject.  Since  the  great  Rubber  suits,  no 
patent-suit  has  elicited  more  general  attention,  involved  so  im- 
portant considerations,  or  its  termination  more  anxiously  awaited. 
The  sum  of  $50,000  had  been  subscribed  among  the  producers, 
for  the  purpose  of  breaking  down  the  Roberts  Patent,  and  such 
a  result  was  looked  for  with  entire  confidence.  Few  cases  have 
ever  enlisted  higher  professional  ability,  or  been  more  earnestly 
contested.  Messrs.  Bakewell  and  Christy,  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
George  Harding  of  Philadelphia,  conducted  the  case  for  Roberts, 
and  Messrs.  Kellar  and  Blake,  of  Ne^r  York,  were  employed  by 
the  oil  producing  interest,  for  the  defence.  The  decision  was 
rendered  in  May,  1871,  and  was  in  favor  of  Roberts.  It  was 
made  the  occasion  of  a  very  elaborate  and  exhaustive  opinion, 
which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was  received  with  general  disap- 
probation on  the  part  of  the  producers,  and  occasioned  great  dis- 
appointment. 

Very  many  suits  have  since  been  brought  for  infringements, 
and  over  $100,000  have  been  expended  by  the  inventor  in  pro- 
tecting his  legal  rights.  Thus  far  the  Courts  have  uniformly 
sustained  the  Roberts  patent. 


OIL,  WELL  RECORDS. 


255 


OIL  WELL  RECORDS. 


THE  OIL  WELLS  AT  BRADY'S  BEND,— LOWER  DIST. 


BY   PROF.    LESLEY. 


ORIGINAL  information  on  practical  subjects  is  always  useful,  and 
we  therefore  register  the  following  table  and  notes  of  thirteen  oil 
wells  sunk  near  the  Brady's  Bend  Iron  Works.  These  are  situated 
on  the  Allegany  River,  at  a  remarkable  oxbow  curve  of  the  river 
just  above  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Bank,  a  few  miles  below  that  of 
the  Clarion,  and  sixty-nine  miles  above  Pittsburgh.  Parker's 
Landing,  a  great  oil  centre  now,  is  thirteen  miles  higher  up  than 
the  iron  works ;  Foster,  another  oil  centre,  is  forty-eight  miles 
above  the  works;  Franklin, Jifty-four  miles;  and  Oil  City,  sixty- 
one  miles. 


Height  of  well 

Depth  below 

mouth  above 
Eng.  No. 

Depth  of 
well. 

river,  high- 
est water 

First  yield  in 
barrels  per 

Present  yield  per 
day. 

datum. 

mark. 

day. 

1...  96  feet 

1,400 

1  bbl. 

2.  ..232 

1,111 

1,268 

5-fbbls. 

no  sand  rock. 

3...  97.62 

1,262 

1,113 

1  bbl. 

4...  97.69 

1,105 

1,264 

7  bbls. 

abandoned. 

5...  100.31 

1,290 

1,105 

5i  bbls. 

2  bbls. 

6...300.48 

1,414 

1,090 

9  bbls. 

4  bbls. 

7...437.41 

1,345 

1,077 

840  bbls. 

8  bbls. 

8...379.18 

1,065 

1,066 

4ibbls. 

150  to  200  bbls. 

9...101.38 

1,300 

1,066 

Ibbl. 

34-bbls. 

10...330.27 

1,200 

1,070 

abandoned. 

11...111.13 
12...216.50 

1,212 
1,402 

1,189 
l,095i 

12  bbls. 

powerful  gas  blow 
13  bbls. 

13...426.38 

1,076 

3  bbls. 

2  bbls. 

256  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

From  the  above  table,  it  a'ppears  that  all  the  oil-producing  wells 
mentioned  in  it  get  their  supply  from  one  stratum  lying  in  an  un- 
disturbed and  horizontal  position,  varying  in  their  actual  depths 
below  a  fixed  datum  level  from  1,113  to  1,066  feet,  a  difference  of 
only  forty-seven  feet.  This  difference  is  due  to  three  causes,  viz : 
1.  The  different  depths  in  the  oil-bearing  stratum  penetrated  by 
the  bottom  boring  of  the  wells ;  2.  The  slight  inequalities  in  the 
upper  surface  of  the  stratum ;  3.  And  chiefly  to  a  general  slight 
dip  of  the  rocks,  both  from  the  north-west  and  from  the  south-east, 
in  toward  the  centre  line  or  axis  of  the  trough  or  basin  which  here 
crosses  the  Allegany  River  in  its  northeast-southwest  course  ;  and 
also  to  a  still  slighter  and  almost  insensible  decline  of  the  axis  of 
the  basin  itself  south-westward. 

The  table  also  confirms  what  was  proven  years  ago,  long  before 
the  fact  was  acknowledged  by  oil  men,  namely,  that  it  makes  no 
difference  whether  a  well  is  started  in  a  valley  bottom  or  on  the 
hill-tops  provided  it  goes  down  to  the  uniform  and  nearly  horizon- 
tal oil-bearing  sand  rock.  For  some  of  these  wells  have  their 
mouths  at  elevations  more  than  300  feet  greater  than  others.  Some 
on  the  river  bank,  and  others  high  up  at  the  heads  of  side  ravines. 
The  great  No.  8  well  was  commenced  at  an  elevation  of  (379 — 
96=)  283  feet  higher  than  those  on  the  river  bank,  which  yield 
only  from  one  to  three  barrels  per  day. 

The  following  table  shows  the  thickness  of  the  third  sand  rock 
where  it  was  passed  entirely  through  : 

No.  2. — No  sand  rock  found  and  no  oil. 

No.  4. — Sand  rock,  twenty-six  feet ;  hard  fine  white  sand. 

No.  5. — Sand  rock,  twenty-seven  feet ;  fine  pebbles. 

No.  6. — Sand  rock,  sixteen  feet ;  with  slate  partings. 

No.  7. — Sand  rock,  twenty-seven  feet ;  pebbles  pretty  coarse. 

No.  8. — Sand  rock^  very  coarse  and  open. 

No.  9. — Sand  rock  ?  pebble  very  fine  and  close,  very  little  gas. 

No.  10. — Sand  rock?  ten  feet;  pebbles  pretty  fine,  except  in 
one  thin  streak. 


OIL   WELL   RECORDS.  257 

No.  11. — No  sand-rock,  no  oil,  but  great  gas  blow,  doubtless 
from  a  fissure. 

No.  12. — Sand  rock,  seventeen  feet,  all  pebbles;  steady  flow  of 
oil. 

No.  13. — Sand  rock,  thirteen  feet;  coarse  open  pebbles;  and  a 
fair  amount  of  gas. 

No.  14.  Sand  rock,  thirteen  feet;  large  coarse  pebbles;  rfair 
amount  of  gas. 

Other  noteworthy  facts  are  as  follows : 

No.  1  well,  on  the  river  bank,  one-half  mile  above  the  rolling- 
mill,  begun  March,  1865,  finished  1866.* 

No.  2  well,  at  the  mouth  of  Cove  Run,  May,  1866— June,  1870. 

No.  3  well,  on  the  river  above  the  mill,  commenced  August, 
1868 — pumping  in  September,  1872,  one  barrel  a  day. 

No.  4  well,  on  the  river  above  the  mill,  May,  1869 — March, 

1870.  Cost  $10,405.     Record  of  strata  given  below. 

No.  5  well,  on  the  run  above  the  mill,  June,  1869 — April,  1870. 
At  931  feet  struck  so  powerful  a  gas  vein,  that  the  bore  hole  was 
deluged  with  water  and  abandoned  for  four  months.  In  June, 

1871,  a  three-quart  nitro-glycerine  torpedo  was  exploded  without 
increasing  the  production  of  oil.      The  pebble-rock  was  almost  as 
fine  as  sea  sand. 

No.  6  well,  on  Queenstown  Run;  August,  1870 — April  5, 1871; 
drilled  with  the  water  cased  out;  all  the  previous  wells  were 
drilled  in  water;  casing  commenced  at  357  feet;  not  much  gas. 

No.  7  well,  on  Queenstown  Run ;  August  7,  1870— March  1, 
1871 ;  water  cased  at  512  feet;  some  gas  at  1,050 ;  commenced 
pumping  about  nine  barrels  a  day,  and  has  produced  up  to  Sep- 
tember, 1872,  4,133  barrels. 

No.  8  well,  on  Queenstown  Run ;  June  26,  1871 — September 
22,  1871 ;  water  cased  out ;  first  show  of  oil  September  22,  and 

*  The  "  Engineers'  Datum  "  is  an  assumed  level,  100  feet  lower  than  a  mark  on  the 
Brady's  Bend  Iron  Company's  warehouse,  showing  the  extreme  height  reached  by 
the  flood  of  March  17, 1865. 

17 


258  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

began  to  fill  up  very  slowly.  At  12.35  A.  M.,  September  23, 
struck  a  vein  of  gas  and  oil  which  spouted  over  the  top  of  the  der- 
rick, and  was  fired  by  the  night  lamp  hung  in  the  derrick,  burning 
the  rigging  down.  The  spouts  occurred  every  two  minutes.  At 
9  A.  M.,  the  fire  was  extinguished  and  the  oil  began  to  fill  the  tank 
at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  barrels  an  hour,  but  gradually  calmed 
down  to  about  sixty  barrels  a  day  during  the  first  month,  and  Oc- 
tober 22,  ceased  to  flow.  Tubing  and  sucker  rods  were  then  put 
in,  and  it  began  to  flow  again  at  the  rate  of  150  barrels  a  day. 

This  well  has  been  cleaned  out  many  times  to  keep  her  in  good 
running  order.  Immediately  after  any  one  such  cleaning  she  pro- 
duces from  seventy  to  ninety  barrels  a  day,  and  gradually  falls  off 
to  about  twenty  to  twenty-five,  when  it  is  understood  that  she 
again  needs  cleaning.  In  fifty  weeks  she  has  produced  9,505  bar- 
rels. There  is  not  much  gas  except  when  flowing. 

No.  9  well,  on  the  river  opposite  Catfish ;  June  24,  1871 — Octo- 
ber 24,  1871 ;  water  cased  out;  cost  $5,750. 

No.  10  well,  on  Lower  Campbell  Tract;  July  10,  1871 — May 
22,  1872;  water  cased  out.  After  passing  through  third  sand  at 
1,300  feet,  put  in  a  four-quart  torpedo,  which  seemed  to  have  very 
little  effect.  Sand-pumped  for  two  days  afterward,  and  found  that 
she  filled  up  with  less  than  a  barrel  of  oil  per  day,  and  therefore 
concluded  it  was  useless  to  tube  her.  Not  much  gas  at  any  time. 

No.  11  well,  on  river  half  mile  below  the  mill;  August  24, 
1871— June  24,  1872  ;  water  cased  out  at  437  feet.  Struck  very 
heavy  vein  of  gas  at  858  feet. 

The  gas  from  this  well,  by  calculation,  would  supply  fuel  to  run 
the  rolling-mill  and  machine  shop  boilers,  being  therefore  equal  to 
100  tons  of  coal  per  week. 

The  pressure  of  gas  would  sometimes  lift  the  tools  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  in  the  hol&,  tools  weighing  1,700  pounds  and  rope  300 
pounds.  The  flow  of  gas  is  enormous  and  continuous. 

No.  12  well,  on  Queenstown  Run;  December  9,  1871 — April 
12,  1872  ;  water  cased  out  at  394  feet.  Struck  heavy  vein  of  gas 


OtL   WELL   RECORDS. 


259 


February  2,  at  725  feet,  which  caused  a  flow  of  water  until  March 
1,  when  casing  was  put  in  and  the  water  stopped  off. 

Struck  oil  at  the  top  of  third  sand  April  4,  at  1,183  feet,  the 
rock  being  nearly  all  good  pebble-rock ;  after  passing  through  it 
(1,200  feet)  drilled  twelve  feet  into  slate  for  a  pocket ;  tubed  well 
April  12;  commenced  pumping  twelve  barrels  a  day,  and  the  well 
is  now  doing  thirteen  barrels.  Much  gas  all  the  time.  Cost 
$6,557. 

* 

WELL  RECORDS  IN  DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF  THE  OIL  REGION. 


.    Name  of  Well. 

Farm. 

Township. 

County. 

"1 
Q 

ISt 

Sand 
at 

Thickness. 

2d 

Sand 
at 

I 

3d 
band 
at 

I 

X 

4th 
band 
at 

Thickness. 

5th 
Sand 
at 

A  &  G  W  Oil  Co  

Oil  Creek 

64.2 

573 
557 
446 

64 

Cadwallader  &  Warner 
C    G    Emery  

Southwest, 

Warren 

613 

462 

6Yl"Creek7 

Venango 

474 
465 
844 
844 
t-26 

238 
362" 

E.  Baum  

William  Wood    

Baum, 
Zuver, 

if 

534 

M 

628"" 
475 
757 
452 

21 

2< 

37 

699 
772 

23 

797 
799 

H    Davies 

J    Watson   

Perry, 

Armstr'g 

900 

400 
400 

u 

Murphy  &  McKenny... 
J    Watson 

Hall, 
Ball, 
Poor, 
Bennehoff, 
Egbert,       . 
Skinner, 
Weed, 

g 

587 

77 

834 

... 

E.  Poor  &  Co  
Custer  &  Lowers  
Dr    Egbert  



708 

3' 
i<5 

824"" 

711 
482 

Cornplanter 

Oil  Creek, 

Southwest, 

Cornplanter 
Oil  Creek, 

Venango 

Crawford 
Warren, 

Venango 

564 
79i 
704 
722 
596 
652 
874 
823 
614 

267 
364"" 

387 
605 
597 

22 

19 
14 

20 

764 

6^9 
369 
546 
558 
779 

32 

13 

15 

671 
418 
596 
693 
794 

u 
J   Watson  

B   D    Benson 

Whitman  &  Doubleday 
F  G    Irving  

241 
33° 

27 

325 
485 

McClintock, 
Blood, 

40 

i::: 

Col    Roberts  

... 

472 

Reno  Oil  Co 

Sugar  Creek 
Southwest, 

Venango 
Warren 

882 
522 
482 
560 
767 

579 

477 

I91 
632 

660 
811 

H    Joy  &  Co 

221 

463"" 
275 

208 
2OO' 
247 

i£ 

44 

JI 

T4 
5 
sfi 

342 

10 

469 

19 

Fee  &  Emery  
Watson,  Williams  &  Co. 
A    R    Williams 

Carp'ter  Lot 
Barnsdall, 

372 
672 
429 
542 
342 
333 
500 
435 
469 

8 

35 

55 
59 

509 

688 
364"" 

607 
635 

55 



Redfield  &  Co  

7 

20 

489'" 

24 

7o6 

W   Barber 

Cornplanter 

Venango 

W   H   Marsden 

Kinney, 
Withrop, 





T.  King  

C   D   Angell 

RockTand"' 

Venango 

tW     Brice 

47 

79i 

.  T.  Ridgway  
E.  Haines  
T.  Chattels  

Watson  &  Steele 

McMullen, 
Benedict, 
N.  Star  Co., 
Terrill 

586 





495 
667 
7Q6 



.. 

35 

)26 

620 
763 
648 

n  > 
1  6 

^7 
23 

12 

1  6 

775 

..!.... 

R.  W.   Throwbley  
Linn,  Pinkerton,  &  Co. 
Hess  &  Tarbell  

Shaw, 
McClintock, 
Shoup, 

Cornplanter 
Richland, 

Venango 
Clarion, 

789 
675 
1,048 

497 
360 

732 

43 
$8 

614 

505 
835 



NOTE The  sands,  thickness,  depth  of  wells,  &c.,  in  the  Lower  Oil  Fields,  will  be  found  in  the 

chapter  devoted  to  a  description  of  the  Butler  County  and  Parker's  Landing  District. 


260  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 


OIL  COMPANIES. 

A    FEW    SPECIALLY    MENTIONED, 


THE  HARMONY  OR  ECONOMITE  SOCIETY. 

IT  was  not  the  intention  to  give  special  notice  of  the  existence  of 
individual  associations  and  companies.  We,  however,  make  excep- 
tions in  a  few  instances.  We  do  so  because  these  present  interesting 
and  peculiar  features. 

In  the  case  of  the  Economite  Society  their  history  is  of  marked 
interest  to  the  public,  because  of  their  strange  organization,  their 
singular  history,  and  their  great  success  as  oil  operators.  For  the 
information  herewith  given  we  are  indebted  to  their  present  Super- 
intendent, Mr.  William  Merkle,  to  whom  we  tender  our  acknow- 
ledgments for  his  courtesy. 

The  Harmony  Society  was  founded  near  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  by  George  Rapp,  and  a  colony  of  emigrants  from 
Wiirtemberg,  numbering  over  one  hundred  families.  They  be- 
longed to  that  class  of  devout  people  in  Germany,  to  whom,  in  the 
previous  century,  had  been  given  in  reproach,  the  name  of  Pietists. 
Dissatisfied  with  the  state  of  religion  in  the  established  Lutheran 
church,  they  gave  themselves  to  the  more  diligent  private  study  of 
the  Scriptures  (a  practice  which  they  still  retain),  and  to  the  edifi- 
cation of  each  other  in  social  assemblages  for  conference  and  prayer. 
Two  men  arose  among  them,  who  by  their  force  of  character,  be- 
came leaders.  These  were  Michael  Hahn  and  George  Rapp.  They 


OIL   COMPANIES.  261 

were  earnest,  zealous  men,  who  magnified  their  office  by  gathering 
together  on  the  Sabbath,  the  people  who  sympathized  with  them, 
and  administering  to  them  words  of  instruction  and  encouragement. 
Hahn  had  commenced  the  work  of  preaching  at  an  earlier  period 
than  Rapp.  He  was  a  man  of  more  literary  culture,  and  made 
use  of  the  press  in  the  work  of  reformation.  He  was  an  humble 
farmer,  with  limitecLeducation,  but  he  was  a  man  of  deep  religious 
spirit,  and  great  force  of  character.  Feeling  himself 'constrained  to 
proclaim  to  others  the  religious  convictions  which  filled  his  own 
heart,  he  soon  gathered  around  him  a  number  of  followers,  of 
kindred  views.  The  work  grew  gradually  until  several  hundreds 
looked  to  him  as  their  leader.  These  movements  excited  the  oppo- 
sition of  their  more  worldly  neighbors,  and  especially  of  the  clergy, 
whose  ministrations  they  neglected.  Hahn  and  his  adherents, 
under  the  name  of  Pietists,  still  retained  their  connection  with 
the  established  churches,  giving  at  least  occasional  attendance  on 
the  ordinances  as  then  administered.  Like  the  first  Methodists 
in  England,  they  hoped  to  bring  about  a  reformation  within  the 
church  itself.  They  thus  escaped  in  great  measure  the  persecu- 
tions which  arose  against  Rapp  and  his  followers,  who  refused  to 
attend  upon  the  ministrations  of  the  regular  clergy.  They  were 
called  Separatists,  and  although  demeaning  themselves  as  quiet, 
orderly  citizens,  and  paying  their  dues  both  to  church  and  state, 
they  became  objects  of  odium,  and  were  denounced  to  the  civil 
authorities  by  the  offended  clergy.  They  were  persecuted  with 
fines  and  imprisonment,  and  their  appeals  for  redress  were  in  vain. 
After  long  endurance,  and  after  having  made  an  ineffectual  ap- 
plication to  their  own  government  for  permission  to  form  a  settle- 
ment by  themselves,  they  determined  to  emigrate.  In  the  year 
1803,  George  Rapp  visited  this  country,  in  search  of  a  location 
suitable  for  a  colony.  He  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  near 
Zelienople,  in  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
the  ensuing  year  three  ship-loads  of  colonists  arrived. 

Before   they  left '  Germany  they  had  embraced   some  peculiar 


262 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


views  of  religion  and  social  economy,  to  which,  they  were  led,  as 
they  supposed,  by  their  careful  study  of  the  New  Testament. 
They  had  generally  adopted  the  Millenarian  theory  of  the  per- 
sonal and  pre-millenarian  advent  of  Christ,  which  they  regarded 
as  near  at  hand.  They  were  also  disposed  to  follow  the  example 
of  the  primitive  Christians,  in  having  all  things  in  common.  It 
was  not,  however,  for  some  years  later  that  this  practice  became  a 
law  among  them.  Soon  after  their  settlement  in  this  country 
marriage  was  prohibited,  celibacy  being  strictly  adhered  to  by 
members  of  the  Society,  for  now,  upward  of  fifty  years. 

The  Society,  for  some  reason,  changed  their  location,  having 
purchased  lands  in  the  Valley  of  the  Wabash,  in  Posey  County, 
Indiana,  disposing  of  their  property  in  Pennsylvania  at  a  great 
sacrifice.  After  a  residence  often  years  on  the  Wabash,  they  again 
determined  to  change  their  location,  finding  the  country  unhealthy, 
and  their  neighbors  ignorant,  vicious,  and  turbulent.  It  is  said 
unpleasant  collisions  occurred  between  them  and  the  peacefully 
disposed  Harmonists.  These  circumstances  induced  them  to  think 
of  returning  to  Pennsylvania. 

In  1825,  they  made  a  purchase  of  their  present  lands  in  Beaver 
County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Ohio  river,  about  eighteen  miles 
from  Pittsburgh.  They  built  a  steamboat,  and  removed  in  detach- 
ments to  their  new  and  final  place  of  settlement.  Here  they 
founded  a  town,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  ECONOMY,  and 
from  this  circumstance,  the  popular  name  of  the  Society  is  de- 
rived. 

A  few  years  prior  to  the  discovery  of  oil,  the  Economists'  Society 
came  into  possession  of  a  large  tract  of  land,  some  six  thousand  six 
hundred  acres,  opposite  Tidioute,  in  Warren  County,  Pennsylvania. 
This  land  was  originally  purchased  as  a  lumber  enterprise,  for  the 
supply  of  their  own  wants,  and  to  meet  the  extensive  demand  for 
timber  at  their  mills  in  Economy.  This  tract  has  since  proved  to 
be  valuable  oil  territory,  as  is  now  well  known.  When  oil  was 
first  discovered,  it  was  a  great  and  unexpected  addition  to  the  value 


OIL  COMPANIES.  263 

of  their  lands,  and  they  generously  intrusted  the  management  of  it 
to  the  former  proprietor,  with  such  share  of  the  profits  as  enabled 
him  to  retrieve  his  shattered  fortune,  and  place  his  family  in  inde- 
pendent circumstances.  They  then  took  the  whole  business  into 
their  own  hands. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer  of  1860,  oil  was  found  imme- 
diately below  the  river  tract  belonging  to  the  Society,  which  created 
great  excitement,  and  many  persons  sought  to  purchase  or  lease  the 
land  from  them,  but  fortunately  for  them  a  law-suit  was  then  pend- 
ing for  the  possession  of  this  tract,  which  prevented  leasing  or  sales. 
In  September  of  the  same  year  they  took  actual  possession  of  this 
tract,  located  five  different  wells  upon  it,  made  contracts  for  drilling 
them,  and  engaged  workmen  for  the  vigorous  development  of  the 
property. 

The  first  two  wells  drilled  were  entire  failures.  The  third  had 
a  pretty  good  show  of  oil,  but  finally  proved  to  be  nearly  worth- 
less, after  three  months'  hard  labor,  and  the  expenditure  of  a  large 
amount  of  money.  The  prospect  of  success  now  looked  gloomy, 
but  they  hoped  and  worked  on,  and  unexpectedly,  at  the  depth  of 
99J  feet,  the  drill  struck  a  large  crevice,  and  sank  some  eight  or 
ten  inches,  and  in  a  few  moments  large  quantities  of  oil  and  water 
were  thrown  high  above  the  derrick  in  a  continuous  stream.  This 
well  flowed  steadily  for  six  months,  gradually  decreasing  in 
production,  then  stopped  and  flowed  periodically,  and  at  the  end  of 
nine  months  ceased  to  flow,  and  afterwards  was  pumped  for  a  number 
of  years.  Immediately  after  the  striking  of  the  flowing  well,  a 
new  well  was  struck  near  to  it,  which  at  first  produced  but  little 
oil,  but  after  some  time  proved  a  good  well,  and  continued  to  pro- 
duce for  eight  years. 

During  the  spring  of  1861,  'eight  wells  were  finished,  four  of 
which  were  failures,  and  four  of  them  good  shallow  wells  of  not 
more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  depth. 

In  March,  1862,  the  society  had  four  good  producing  wells  ;  had 
erected  a  number  of  buildings,  made  roads,  constructed  wharves — a 


264  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

cooper  shop ;  with  a  stock  of  several  thousand  barrels  to  send 
their  oil  to  market ;  a  blacksmith  shop,  carpenter  shop,  and  all  the 
necessary  tools. 

The  history  of  the  society's  operations  for  the  years  following,  up 
to  1868,  is  varied,  meeting  like  all  other  operations,  with  successes 
and  reverses,  but  still  maintaining  their  position  against  all  the 
drawbacks  incident  to  the  business. 

In  1868,  the  society  met  with  marked  success,  having  sold  dur- 
ing the  year  upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  oil,  and 
in  1869,  over  seventy-five  thousand  barrels.  They  are  now  drilling 
their  seventy-sixth  well,  having  at  the  present  time  fourteen  pro- 
ducing wells,  yielding  a  little  over  one  hundred  barrels  per  day, 
which  the  Trustees  have  leased  for  a  short  term,  to  their  superin- 
tendent, Mr.  Merkle,  and  Mr.  A.  R.  Moore. 

From  the  records  of  their  drillings,  we  find  that  the  wells  vary 
in  depth  from  ninety-nine  and  a  half  feet,  to  five  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  feet,  and  the  oil-bearing  sand  rock  from  twelve  to 
fifty-five  feet  in  thickness.  Their  largest  well  was  two  hundred 
and  fifty  barrels  per  day. 

It  is  something  remarkable  that  the  Economites  never  pumped 
their  wells  on  Sunday.  They  declare  that  their  wells  do  not  suffer 
thereby,  though  of  like  character  to  that  of  their  neighbors,  being 
subject  to  water,  which  is  presumed  to  injure  wells  by  standing  on 
the  oil-bearing  rock.  We  dare  say  the  fact  of  the  Econornite 
wells  being  so  long-lived  is  an  argument  in  favor  of  their  practice 
of  cessation  of  pumping  on  Sunday. 

In  a  few  instances  the  Trustees  have  leased  small  portions  of 
their  oil  territories,  and  in  all  such  cases  they  have  made  binding, 
it  being  in  the  lease,  not  to  pump  on  the  Sabbath ;  their  operators 
say  that  they  have  never  known  their  wells  injured  by  cessation  of 
pumping  on  Sunday. 

The  society  is  represented  in  all  its  business  matters  by  two 
trustees,  one  of  whom  formerly  took  especial  care  of  their  oil  inter- 
ests ;  we  refer  to  Mr.  R.  L.  Baker,  now  deceased,  who  was  ably 


OIL  COMPANIES.  265 

assisted  by  Mr.  Jacob  Henrici.  Since  Mr.  Baker's  death  Mr. 
John  Lenz  has  been  selected  by  the  society  to  fill  his  place. 

There  are  no  members  of  the  Economite  Society  on  their  Tidioute 
property ;  the  business  is  conducted  by  their  agents,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  trustees,  who  make  frequent  visits  of  inspection. 

We  ought  not  omit  to  mention  that  most  of  the  land  of  the 
Tidioute  property  is  valuable  as  timber  land,  on  which  the  society 
has  now  two  large  saw  mills  in  full  blast. 

Of  the  society's  6,600  acres,  not  more  than  200  acres  have  been 
developed.  The  balance  is  supposed  to  be  good  oil  territory. 

The  Economites  are  very  few  in  number  now;  year  by  year 
death  is  thinning  them  out.  Their  adoption  of  celibacy,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  will  in  a  few  years  put  an  end  to  their  existence. 
What  is  to  become  of  their  vast  property  ?  At  present  it  is  not 
known  that  they  have  made  any  provision  for  its  disposal  after 
their  extinction.  They  expect,  even  yet,  that  the  Lord  will  come 
in  his  glory  before  they  are  all  gone. 


SAGE  RUN  OIL  FIELD. 

The  oil  territory  at  the  head  of  Sage  Run,  2  J  miles  south  of  Oil 
City,  has  of  late  proved  valuable.  The  first  strike  was  made  early 
in  the  summer  of  .1869,  which  produced  40  barrels  daily,  located 
on  the  Schwartz  farm,  and  owned  by  the  McGrew  Bros,  of  Pitts- 
burgh. Land  owners  would  not  lease  or  sell  on  reasonable  terms, 
and  the  excitement  consequent  upon  the  strike  died  out. 

Prominent  among  the  operators  here  is  a  widow-lady,  Mrs. 
Sands,  who,  with  a  keen  eye  to  future  advantage,  had  several 
months  before  the  McGrew  strike,  purchased  a  tract  of  some  200 
acres,  situated  on  the  turnpike  road,  near  the  Schwartz  farm ;  this 
land,  she  bought  at  a  nominal  rate  of  eight  or  ten  dollars  per 
acre,  from  a  Philadelphia  Company.  Mrs.  Sands  has  now  put 


266 


HISTORY   OF    PETROLEUM. 


down  seven  wells.  Her  No.  1  was  struck  in  September,  1870,  and 
is  said  to  have  produced  60  barrels  per  day,  gradually  falling  off, 
till  at  the  present  time,  it  is  producing  some  three  barrels.  The  two 
following  wells  put  down  by  this  enterprising  lady  were  moderately 
successful.  In  the  beginning  of  October,  1872,  Mrs.  Sands  struck 
her  No.  4  flowing  well,  which  attracted  much  attention.  For  days 
this  well  "  spouted  "  not  less  than  500  barrels  daily  ;  it  gradually 
declined  by  filling  up  with  sand  and  mud,  and  ceased  to  flow  early 
in  November.  At  present  this  well  is  producing  12  barrels  per 
day. 

A  few  rods  south  of  the  Sands  property  is  the  first  Green  well, 
owned  by  the  Green  Bros,  and  Mead  Bros.  It  began  pumping  at 
the  rate  of  30  barrels  per  day  in  November,  1872,  and  is  still  pro- 
ducing at  the  rate  of  five  barrels  per  day.  The  second  Green  well 
was  struck,  29th  of  January,  1873,  and  started  up  at  the  rate  of 
400  barrels  per  day,  and  then  held  out  at  the  rate  of  200  barrels 
for  two  months,  when  it  decreased,  and  at  60  barrels  it  ceased  to  flow 
when  pumping  commenced,  and  at  the  time  of  our  visit  (August) 
it  was  producing  50  barrels  per  day. 

A  few  rods  south  of  the  wells  just  described,  is  situated  the  Bly 
and  Main  well,  which  was  struck  July  12th  of  the  present  year, 
and  continues  to  flow,  starting  up  at  300  barrels,  and  now  doing 
200  barrels.  This  well,  like  many  of  its  kind,  flows  intermittingly, 
sending  forth  the  oil  with  a  tremendous  rush  every  ten  minutes,  or 
thereabouts. 

The  territory  hereabouts  is  from  1000  to  1045  feet  in  depth,  the 
oil-bearing  sand  rock  varying  from  18  to  20  feet  in  thickness. 


OIL   COMPANIES.  267 

THE  RENO  OIL  COMPANY. 

The  Reno  Oil  Company,  now  owners  and  operators,  of  what  is 
known  as  the  Reno  district,  was  formed  in  1867.  The  tract  of 
land  owned  by  this  company  comprises  quite  one  thousand  two 
hundred  acres.  The  district  lies  on  the  north  side  of  the  Allegany 
river,  extending  back  up  the  hill-side  for  about  a  mile,  and  so  far 
as  developed  has  proved  valuable  oil-producing  territory. 

The  president  of  the  present  organization,  is  C.  V.  Culver,  who 
was  first  identified  with  the  oil  region,  as  part  owner  of  some 
wells  upon  the  Clapp  farm,  early  in  1861 — he  being  at  that  time 
connected  with  the  Citizens7  Bank  at  Logan,  Ohio.  Gifted  with  a 
clear  and  far-seeing  mind,  he  saw  the  opening  which  this  region 
presented,  and  acted  upon  it  at  once,  as  in  May  of  the  above  year 
he  came  to  Meadville,  and  purchased  the  charter  of  the  Bank  of 
Crawford  county,  which  was  at  that  time  in  bad  repute.  He  re- 
deemed the  old  issue  of  notes,  and  established  the  bank  on  a  sound 
basis.  Comprehending  fully,  that  for  the  development  of  the  oil 
region  a  large  amount  of  capital  was  needed,  he  conceived  the  finan- 
cial scheme  of  organizing  a  chain  of  offices  and  banks  throughout 
the  district.  He  first  opened  an  office  of  discount  and  deposit, 
at  Franklin,  in  May,  1861.  In  October  of  the  same  year,  he 
founded  the  Venango  Bank,  at  Franklin,  which  institution  after- 
ward proved  such  a  disastrous  failure.  The  advent  of  this  bank 
was  followed  by  the  opening  of  the  Petroleum  Bank  at  Titusville, 
and  another  of  discount  and  deposit,  at  Oil  City;  and  to  accommodate 
Eastern  capitalists  who  had  invested  in  the  oil  region,  he  opened  a 
house  in  Philadelphia,  under  the  name  of  Culver,  Brooke  and  Co., 
and  in  New  York  city,  a  banking-office  under  the  style  of  Culver, 
Penn  &  Co.  Although  these  offices  facilitated  the  business  of  his 
country  banks,  they  were  not  enough,  and  accordingly  in  the  spring 
of  1864,  he  organized  the  Third  National  Bank  of  New  York. 
With  all  these  banks,  he  was  not  able  to  do  the  business  which 
crowded  upon  him,  and  to  meet  the  demands,  he  organized  the 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

first  National  Bank  at  Cony,  the  First  National  Bank  at  Titus- 
ville,  the  Second  National  Bank  at  Erie,  and  the  Tradesmen's  Na- 
tional Bank  at  Pittsburgh,  thus  completing  the  circle. 

Mr.  Culver  organized  the  Yenango  Oil  Transportation  Com- 
pany, for  handling  and  storing  oil,  which  company  owned  some  of 
the  finest  store-houses  and  docks  in  New  York  city. 

With  the  disasters  of  1865-6,  came  the  downfall  of  Culver,  and 
the  mighty  fabric  which  his  genius  had  reared,  and  with  his  fall 
came  the  ruin  of  thousands  who  had  placed  their  savings  under 
his  care.  We  pass  over  this  point  with  the  suggestion  generally 
received  now,  that  the  times,  and  not  the  man,  contributed  to  the 
destruction  of  his  grand  scheme.  Had  the  result  been  different, 
Mr.  Culver  might  at  this  day  have  been  a  Petroleum  king.  As  it 
is,  he  is  generally  acknowledged  to  be  a  gentleman  of  rare  business 
qualifications,  industrious,  plucky,  and  sure  to  work  out  his  finan- 
cial salvation. 

Mr.  Culver  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1865,  in  recognition  of  his 
great  efforts  to  advance  the  interest  of  the  Oil  Region. 

The  Reno  Oil  Company  was  organized  in  the .  interest  of  the 
creditors  of  Culver,  Penn  &  Co.,  and  by  judicious  management 
and  the  good  fortune  of  the  company  they  have  paid  a  number  of 
dividends  to  the  creditors. 

The  first  well,  known  as  No.  18,  was  struck  on  the  27th  of  May, 
1870.  It  started  off  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels 
per  day,  and  created  quite  an  excitement  at  the  time.  It  soon  fell 
off,  however,  and  after  a  time  a  torpedo  was  put  in,  which  brought 
it  back  to  its  original  production,  when  it  caught  fire  and  burned 
up  the  derrick. 

The  company  have  now  some  forty  wells  producing.  No.  51 
was  finished  early  in  1872,  and  when  completed  did  only  fifteen 
barrels.  It  gradually  increased,  fluctuating  from  time  to  time,  was 
torpedoed,  and  then  commenced  to  flow  two  hundred  barrels  per 
day,  and  continued  at  this  rate  for  a  considerable  time. 

So  far  the  company  have  found  very  few  dry  holes ;  in  fact,  only 


OIL   COMPANIES.  269 

three  during  the  present  year.  A  number  of  the  wells  are  small, 
but  as  there  is  plenty  of  gas  to  run  them,  they  are  made  to  pay 
by  pumping  them  "  by  heads."  The  engine  houses  are  models  of 
neatness,  with  their  cleanly  swept  floors  and  well  kept  boilers  and 
engines.  The  oil  from  the  wells  is  running  into  a  large  10,000- 
barrel  tank,  from  which  it  is  pumped  to  the  loading  rack,  as  re- 
quired. 

Very  little  coal  is  used  on  any  part  of  the  farm,  thereby  saving 
an  immense  amount  of  cost,  and  making  the  profits  of  the  company 
proportionately  greater. 

The  sand  found  in  the  best  wells  is  coarse  and  white,  with  large 
pebbles  that  look  like  bits  of  polished  marble.  It,  however,  changes 
its  character  somewhat  in  different  localities.  The  oil  in  the  wells 
near  the  river  bank  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  from  500  to  550  feet. 
Further  back,  No.  51,  the  elevation  of  the  hill  required  about  200 
feet  more  of  drilling.  This  oil  is  taken  to  the  New  York  and  Cleve- 
land markets,  that  to  the  latter  place  being  shipped  over  the  James- 
town and  Franklin  railroad,  the  remainder  by  the  way  of  Meadville 
to  New  York.  The  prices  and  the  freight  are  the  same  as  those  of 
Oil  City,  and  the  oil  is  in  good  demand  on  account  of  its  quality 
and  gravity,  which  varies  from  43  to  47  degrees.  The  company 
have  refused  to  lease  any  of  their  lands,  reserving  the  entire  develop- 
ment for  themselves.  No  leases  have  been  given  at  any  time,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  granted  a  number  of  years  ago,  before  the 
creation  of  the  present  company.  The  wells  on  these  leases  are 
pumped  by  heads  only,  none  of  them  being  large  enough  to  pay  for 
more  time  and  attention. 

Quite  a  small  village  has  sprung  up  upon  the  territory.  The 
population  numbers  about  500 — 100  of  whom  are  on  the  pay  roll 
of  the  company,  the  remainder  being  generally  the  families  of 
these.  One  rule  rigidly  enforced  is  that  no  liquor  shall  be  sold  in 
the  place,  and  none  drank  by  the  men  in  the  employ  of  the  com- 
pany, either  when  otf  or  off  duty,  instant  dismissal  being  the  pen- 
alty for  drinking  even  a  glass  of  ale.  The  consequence  of  this  is 


270  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

that  perfect  peace  and  quiet  prevails,  and  the  men  are  always  able 
to  attend  to  their  work,  in  proof  of  which  the  company  have  never 
had  a  boiler  burned  since  they  began  operations. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are  an  extremely  gentlemanly  and 
obliging  set  of  men,  always  ready  to  afford  information,  or  oppor- 
tunities for  inspection  of  the  wells  and  machinery,  to  visitors.  Their 
office  is  pleasantly  located  at  the  lower  end  of  the  village,  and  has 
from  the  windows  fine  views  of  the  scenery  both  up  and  down  the 

river. 

Conducted  as  it  has  been,  the  past  of  this  company  has  been  a 

success,  and  under  the  same  efficient  management  there  is  no  reason 
to  expect  a  change  from  this  in  the  future. 


THE  OCTAVE  OIL  COMPANY. 

"  The  Octave  Oil  Company  "  was  organized  at  Titusville  in  July, 
1871,  and  consisted  of  an  association  of  eight  members,  the  major- 
ity of  whom  were  members  of  the  Mendelssohn  Society  of  that  city 
— all  musically  inclined — suggesting  the  title  of  the  company — 
"  OCTAVE."  The  association  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
ducing, refining  and  transporting  oil,  and  commenced  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $80,000.  The  Octave  territory  is  situated  two  miles 
north  of  Titusville,  and  embraces  about  nine  hundred  acres  of  land, 
including  the  Purtill  and  Hyde  farms,  which  are  owned  in  fee,  also 
a  large  tract  of  leased  territory  on  the  Fleming,  Pierce  and  Lamb 
farms,  all  on  the  west  side  of  Oil  Creek.  On  the  east  side,  the 
company  own  one  hundred  acres  in  fee  and  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  acres  by  lease,  on  the  Young  and  Noble  farms.  This  terri- 
tory stretches  in  a  north-easterly  and  south-westerly  direction,  and 
from  actual  developments  fully  demonstrates  "  the  belt  theory."  It 
is  singular,  however,  that  the  Octave  district  is  the  only  one  of  the 
many  prolific  tracts  in  the  vicinity  of  Titusvilfe  which  thoroughly 
proves  the  correctness  of  the  belt  theory. 


OIL   COMPANIES.  271 

The  company  have  drilled  twenty-one  wells,  the  larger  portion 
of  which  have  proved  good  paying  wells.  One  of  them  produced 
200  barrels  daily  for  a  considerable  time,  and  continues  to  produce 
largely,  though  struck  in  November,  72.  The  depth  of  the  oil- 
bearing  strata  varies  from  460  to  900  feet,  and  the  thickness  of  the 
rock,  from  forty-five  to  seventy-five  feet.  Nearly  all  the  rock  is 
white  and  coarse.  Operations  can  be  carried  on  upon  this  territory 
with  much  greater  economy  than  on  territory  situated  at  great  dis- 
tances from  the  manufacturing  centres.  The  cost  of  wells  averages 
from  §3,000  to  $4,000  each. 

The  company  possess  peculiar  facilities  for  economically  conduct- 
ing their  business,  as  they  pipe,  transport  and  refine  their  own 
oil,  and  sell  their  refined  product  to  the  exporter  or  the  home 
dealer.  The  Octave  Pipe  Line  is  fifteen  miles  in  length,  with  all  its 
connections,  and  furnishes  cheap  transportation  to  the  oil  farms  in 
the  neighborhood  of  their  operations.  The  refinery  of  this  company 
is  situated  at  Titusville,  and  has  a  still  capacity,  daily,  of  606  barrels. 
This  company  have  extended  their  operations  to  the  great  lower 
oil  fields,  having  purchased  318  acres  of  the  celebrated  McCly- 
monds  farm  at  KarnsCity,  Butler  County.  On  this  farm  they  have 
built  one  of  the  largest  oil  tanks  yet  constructed,  it  having  a  capacity 
of  22,000  barrels.  The  business  plan  of  this  Company  may  be 
considered  unique,  as  they  produce,  transport,  refine  and  sell  their 
own  oil  and  that  of  their  neighbors,  thus  saving  many  profits  for 
their  own  pockets,  and  though  the  title  of  the  association  was  at 
firs*  suggestive  and  appropriate  enough,  yet  we  think  they  have 
earned  for  themselves  the  title  of  "Model"  Oil  Company.  The 
present  officers  of  the  Company  are  as  follows : 

M.  STEWART,  President. 
J.  E.  BLAKE,  Yice-President. 
D.  O.  WICKHAM,  Secretary. 
O.  G.  EMERY,  Treasurer. 
D.  EMERY,        ^ 
L.  EMERY,  JR.,  f" 


272  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


COLOEADO  OIL  DISTKICT. 

This  territory,  comprising  what  is  now  known  as  Colorado,  is 
located  on  Pine  Creek,  in  the  south-west  corner  of  Warren  County, 
and  in  the  town  of  South  West — eight  miles  north-east  of  Titus- 
ville,  or  midway  between  Tidioute  and  Titusville.  The  extent  of 
this  territory  may  be  stated,  as  at  present  developed,  at  about  one 
mile  up  and  down  the  course  of  Pine  Creek,  or  lying  near  to  that 
stream — embraced  within  a  tract  of  800  acres  of  land.  The  land 
was  originally  owned  by  the  Holland  Land  Company.  The  title 
to  four  hundred  acres  of  this  tract,  and  first  tested,  we  trace  from 
the  Holland  Land  Company,  through  several  parties,  until  it 
reaches  the  possession  of  William  and  Benjamin  McGee,  who  pur- 
chased it  for  lumbering  purposes,  years  before  the  discovery  of 
oil  in  this  part  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  About  the  date  of 
the  discovery  of  oil  on  the  Watson  flats,  by  Col.  Drake,  GODFREY 
HILL,  of  Pittsburgh,  purchased  these  400  acres  for  oil  and  lumber- 
ing purposes.  In  the  fall  of  1860,  Mr.  HILL  put  down  the  first 
well  drilled  upon  the  tract.  This  "  test  well "  was  very  near  what 
has  since  been  demonstrated  as  the  "Colorado  Belt."  He  found  the 
"  third  sand  rock,"  and  it  was  pronounced  good.  From  it  came  a 
very  little  oil,  but  not  in  paying  quantities.  He  soon  after  began 
a  second  and  third  well,  but  abandoned  both  before  they  were  half 
down.  This  territory  lay  in  its  comparatively  undeveloped  state, 
until  the  fall  and  winter  of  1869  and  70 — the  original  purchaser, 
GODFREY  HILL,  having  meantime  died. 

The  remaining  400  acres,  of  which  we  have  made  mention,  was 
purchased  in  1860,  by  HENRY  R.  ROUSE, — whose  tragic  death  by 
burning  occurred  at  a  well  he  was  interested  in,  on  the  Buchanan 
farm, — for  lumbering  purposes.  Just  prior  to  Mr.  ROUSE'S  death, 
he  executed  a  will,  by  which,  after  certain  bequests  (see  his  will  else- 
where), he  devised  the  remainder  of  his  estate  to  the  County  of  War- 
ren, to  be  expended  in  equal  parts,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  of  the 
county  and  the  improvement  of  the  highways  within  its  boundaries. 


OIL   COMPANIES. 


273 


This  property,  after  an  equitable  administration,  was  purchased  by 
MYRON  WATERS,  of  Warren,  Pa. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  T.  C.  JOY,  of  Titusville,  purchased  Mr. 
WATERS'  interest  in  this  property,  paying  in  round  numbers 
$60,000  for  it.  In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  the  same  year,  Mr. 
JOY  sold  the  north  half  of  his  purchase  to  "  The  Enterprise  Oil 
and  Lumber  Company,"  represented  by  B.  D.  Benson  &  Co.,  of 
Enterprise,  Pa.  Soon  after  this  sale,  Mr.  JOY  began  and  com- 
pleted his  first  well  upon  the  south  half  of  his  purchase.  This  well 
exhibited  a  dark  gray  sand  rock,  but  no  oil.  The  following  spring 
and  summer,  B.  D.  Benson  &  Co.,  put  down  a  single  well  upon 
the  tract  purchased  from  Mr.  JOY,  called  the  "  Metter  well."  This 
was  also  a  "dry  hole!"  Little  or  nothing  was  done  in  drilling 
wells  for  a  year  or  more  thereafter.  In  1867,  aa  JOINT  WELL" 
was  put  down  upon  the  east  and  west  line  of  this  tract — Mr. 
JOY  and  B.  D.  BENSON  &  Co.  owning  equal  interests.  This  well 
produced  about  two  barrels  per  day,  but  was  soon  after  abandoned, 
as  non-paying. 

Shortly  after  this  last  development,  the  improvement  in  product 
and  quality  of  sand  rock,  encouraged  a  number  of  Shamburg  oper- 
ators to  try  it  once  more.  They  sank  the  fifth  well  on  the 
"  Joy  tract,"  and  this  was  a  dry  hole ! 

In  December,  1869,  a  "developing  company"  was  organized, 
composed  of  F.  W.  AMES,  Dr.  W.  B.  ROBERTS,  L.  B.  SILLIMAN, 
T.  C.  JOY  and  A.  K.  MURRAY  of  Titusville,  and  B.  D.  BENSON 
&  Co.,  of  Enterprise,  and  GRAHAM  &  HORTON,  of  Middletown, 
N.  Y.  In  all  previous  developments  a  comparatively  inferior 
"  third  sand "  rock  had  been  found,  of  forty  to  fifty  feet  in  depth. 
This  company  was  therefore  organized  to  make  still  further 
searches  for  the  "  golden  stream  " — confident  the  territory  would 
fifrnish  it.  The  company  drilled  TWO  wells,  and  both  were  dry ! 
This  concluded  the  operations  of  the  "  Developing  Company,"  and 
soon  after  all  its  parties  withdrew  from  the  temporarily  organized 
association,  leaving  Mr.  JOY,  and  B.  D.  BENSON  &  Co.,  sole  owners 

and  operators. 
18 


274 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


Meantime,  or  in  1870,  HENRY  HILL,  a  son  and  heir  of  GOD- 
FREY HILL,  put  down  the  second  well  upon  the  first  400  acres, 
previously  mentioned.  This  well  made  a  promising  "  show,"  but 
it  failed  to  produce  in  remunerative  quantities — less  than  three 
barrels  per  day.  It  demonstrated,  however,  that  oil  existed  there 
in  some  abundance,  and  that  this  last  well  was  very  near  the  de- 
posits. The  first  good  sand  rock  was  found  in  this  well. 

Soon  after  this,  B.  McKinney  and  others  secured  a  ten  acre 
lease,  and  put  down  the  third  well  upon  the  "  Hill  Tract/7  which 
produced  ten  barrels  per  day. 

At  this  time  the  title  to  the  property,  was  in  dispute  and  in 
litigation.  Terms  of  adjustment  were,  however,  agreed  upon,  and 
out  of  the  compromise,  for  such  it  was, — "The  Colorado  Oil  Com- 
pany "  sprang — composed  of  the  following  gentlemen : — 

T.  C.  Joy,  F.  AY.  Andrews,  B.  D.  Benson,  Marcus  Brownson, 
R.  E.  Hopkins,  David  McKelvey. 

In  November,  1871,  this  company  completed  the  fourth  well  on 
the  first  four  hundred  acres,  or  "Hill  Tract,"  and  within  forty  rods 
of  the  first  well,  put  down  by  Mr.  HILL  in  1860.  This  proved  to 
be  a  success.  The  well  produced,  after  being  torpedoed,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  barrels  per  day.  This  established  the  character  of  the 
Colorado  Oil  District,  beyond  cavil  or  doubt.  The  territory  has 
been  rapidly  developed,  since,  and  up  to  the  date  of  this  record, 
January,  1873,  "The  Colorado  Oil  Company,"  has  put  down 
eighteen  wells,  seventeen  of  which  have  been  remuneratively  pro- 
ductive— a  few  largely  so. 

During  the  two  years'  operation  of  this  company,  over  80,000 
barrels  of  oil  have  been  taken  from  their  wells,  and  the  line  of 
development  demonstrates  that  the  "  Colorado  Belt "  extends  over 
both  the  "  Joy"  and  the  «  Hill  Tract,"  alike. 

Messrs.  D.  B.  Benson  &  Co.,  have  developed  other  and  larger 
tracts  in  the  Colorado  districts,  and  their  operations  began  about 
the  date  of  those  above  mentioned.  We  have  not  been  able  to 
obtain  the  information  required,  and  therefore  omit  further  men- 
tion of  the  Colorado  district. 


OIL   COMPANIES.  275 


THE  COLUMBIA  OIL  COMPANY. 

This  company  was  chartered  by  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature, 
May  1,  1861,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000,  divided  into  10,000 
shares  of  $25  each. 

It  commenced  operations  on  the  Story  Farm,  on  Oil  Creek, 
about  seven  miles  from  its  mouth.  During  the  year  1861,  its  pro- 
duction of  oil  was  20,800  barrels ;  in  1862  it  had  increased  to 
89,602  barrels.  Its  first  dividend  was  declared  July  8,  1863,  but 
little  over  two  years  from  the  date  of  its  charter,  and  was  for  thirty 
per  cent,  on  its  capital  stock.  This  was  followed  on  the  12th  of 
August,  by  a  second  for  25  per  cent. ;  another  for  the  same  amount 
September  9th,  and  still  another  on  the  14th  of  October  for  50  per 
cent. — making  in  all  dividends  to  the  amount  of  130  per  cent,  on 
the  capital  stock  within  two  and  one-half  years  of  the  formation  of 
the  company. 

In  1864,  its  production  increased  to  141,508  barrels.  During 
the  first  six  months  of  this  year,  it  declared  four  more  dividends 
amounting  to  160  per  cent,  on  its  capital  stock.  At  this  time  its 
capital  was  increased  to  $2,500,000,  and  it  at  once  declared  a  divi- 
dend of  5  per  cent,  on  this  increased  capital,  and  before  the  close 
of  the  year,  five  more — making  in  the  aggregate  25  per  cent. 
From  that  date  to  the  close  of  the  ysar  1871,  its  production  of 'oil 
has  been  remarkably  uniform;  the  minimum  amount  being  110,- 
655  barrels  in  1867,  and  the  maximum  142,034  barrels  in  1871. 

The  whole  amount  of  oil  produced  by  the  company  during  the 
ten  years  of  its  operations  is  1,715,972  barrels,  and  the  whole 
amount  of  its  dividends  $2,342,600,  or  401  per  cent,  on  its  capital 
stock ;  and  yet  after  ten  years  of  active  development,  but  a  small 
part  of  its  land  has  been  touched,  and  the  part  where  developments 
have  been  made  is  capable  of  receiving  as  many  more  wells  as  have 
been  already  sunk  upon  it ;  and  although  the  fortunate  owners  of 
its  stock  have  already  received  a  princely  return  for  their  invest- 


276  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

ment,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  these  dividends  can  be  main- 
tained, or  even  increased,  almost  at  pleasure,  for  years  to  come. 
The  history  of  this  company,  as  we  have  endeavored  to  give  it,  is 
one  of  figures,  not  words ;  but  from  these  figures,  some  idea  can  be 
formed  of  the  vast  wealth  still  lying  hidden  in  the  crevices  of  the 
rock,  only  needing  the  hand  of  skill  and  the  direction  of  prudent 
managers  to  bring  it  into  the  service  of  man.  Touch  the  point  of 
a  pencil  ever  so1  lightly  upon  a  map  of  the  oil  region,  and  a  larger 
proportion  of  the  territory  which  is  known  to  be  oil-producing,  is 
covered,  than  the  whole  property  of  this  company.  Touch  a  pencil 
again  upon  a  map  representing  the  land  of  this  company,  and  the 
spot  covered  by  the  mark  may  represent  the  developed  portion  of 
the  land,  and  from  this  speck  of  ground,  eight  millions  of  dollars' 
worth  of  oil  has  been  sold  ! 


OIL   WELL  RECORDS.  277 

THE  OIL  MARKET  FROM  1859  TO  1872. 

Petroleum  mining  may  be  said  to  have  commenced  as  a  business 
in  1860.  The  demand  previous  to  this  was  of  a  very  limited  char- 
acter ;  yet  the  oil  from  the  Drake  Well  commanded  an  average 
of  50  cents  per  gallon  during  1859.  In  July,  1860,  the  price  at 
the  wells  had  declined  to  seven  cents  per  gallon.  In  October  it 
was  ten  cents  per  gallon,  and  from  this  time  it  continued  to  advance 
slowly  to  January  1st,  1861,  when  it  was  sold  at  25  cents  per  gal- 
lon, and  remained  at  this  price  till  March  1st.  A  few  days  after- 
wards sales  were  made  at  15  cents  per  gallon,  and  on  the  18th  of 
March  it  was  ten  cents  per  gallon.  In  June,  1861,  the  flowing 
well  period  commenced,  and  the  production  was  suddenly  increased 
from  about  150  barrels  daily,  in  February,  to  some  three  thousand 
barrels  daily,  in  September,  and  more  than  6,000  barrels  daily,  in 
December  of  the  same  year.  The  sudden  and  immense  increase  of 
production  had  now  almost  destroyed  its  value,  as  consumption 
was  as  yet  very  small.  Thousands  of  barrels  were  allowed  to  run 
to  waste  for  want  of  barrels  and  a  market.  In  the  summer  the 
price  had  declined  to  five  cents  per  gallon,  and  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember sales  were  made  at  fifty,  twenty-five  and  thirty  cents  per 
barrel,  when  in  July  the  price  had  receded  to  ten  cents  per  barrel. 
Prices  again  took  an  upward  turn,  and  sales  were  made  during 
October,  November  and  December  at  35  to  40  cents  per  barrel ; 
then  again  the  price  is  quoted  in  January,  1862,  at  $2  per  barrel. 
The  spring  of  1862  was  signalized  by  a  much  larger  production, 
and  the  price  of  oil  went  down  to  40  cents  per  barrel.  Excessive 
cheapness  forced  consumption,  both  in  this  country  and  abroad, 
with  unparalleled  rapidity,  so  that  in  the  latter  months  of  1862, 
there  occurred  a  large  but  spasmodic  rise  in  the  value  of  petroleum. 
The  unremunerative  price  which  had  for  some  time  prevailed 
checked  production,  causing  all  small  wells  to  be  abandoned.  This 
state  of  the  market  continued,  merging  into  a  more  even  upward 
graduation  of  values  through  the  year  1864,  when  crude  oil  sold 


278 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


at  one  time  as  high  as  $13.50  per  barrel,  at  the  wells.  The  fol- 
lowing list  of  prices  we  take  from  the  books  of  a  firm  engaged  in 
the  purchase  of  oil  at  Titusville,  from  1860  to  1865. 


December  7th,  1860, 
"         24,      " 

January  4, 1861, 
"       10,   " 
"      16,  "  . 

April  18,       " 

July  22,         " 

August  12,     " 

November  17,  1862, 


Oil  at  Titusville, 


23  cents  per  gallon. 
23     "  " 

25  "  " 

26  "  " 
26      "  " 


On  the  Creek, 
At  Titusville, 


On  the  Creek, 


At  Shaffer  Station, 


$2.25  per  barrel. 

$2.25  " 

$5.50  " 

$2.50  " 

$2.00  " 

$3.00  " 

$5.00  " 

$8.50  " 

$9.50  " 

$12.50  « 


February  18,  1863, 

March  27,          " 

April  10,  1864, 

June  7, 

August,        " 

Sept.  1,         « 

Sept.  26,       "  "  "          $8.00  " 

The  above  quotation  includes  hauling  from  the  wells  to  the  place 
of  delivery.  The  average  price  per  barrel  of  crude  on  Oil  Creek 
for  the  years  named  are  as  follows : 

1862 

1863 

1864 

1865 


$1.15  currency. 
3.25         " 
8.13         « 
6.71         " 


In  the  Columbia  Oil  Company's  Eleventh  Annual  Report,  the 
average  prices  for  the  years  named  are  given  as  follows : 

1866  .         .         .         $3.78 

1867  ^     .  2.54 

1868  .         .         .  3.95 

1869  .         .         .  5.48 

1870  3.82 


OIL    BROKERAGE.  279 

OIL  BROKERAGE— ITS  COMMENCEMENT,  &c. 

BY   ARNOLD    BURGESS. 

To  a  visitor  in  the  oil  regions,  not  the  least  interesting  as  well 
as  surprising  feature  is  the  brokerage  business.  A  stranger  to  the 
section  and  the  trade,  calling  at  the  exchange,  seeing  the  number 
of  brokers  and  dealers  engaged,  and  these  augmented  on  the 
arrival  of  every  train,  the  constant  coming  and  going  of  telegraph 
messages,  and  listening  to  the  terms  used,  finds  himself  in  a  new 
world,  where  thousands  on  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  property 
changes  hands  with  an  indifference  and  ease  which  astonishes  and 
bewilders  him. 

In  1868,  brokerage  was  started  by  a  few  individuals,  and  for  some 
time  was  chiefly  confined  to  buying  for  refineries  in  Pittsburgh, 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore.  In  most  cases  the  brokers  were  paid 
by  the  buyers  a  commission  of  ten  cents  per  barrel,  and  this  was 
sometimes  increased  by  an  additional  five  cents  per  barrel  by  the 
seller.  At  the  outset  the  business  was  a  matter  of  experiment, 
but  soon  the  attention  of  other  parties  was  attracted  thereto.  New 
men  entered  the  ranks,  and  the  whole  thing  was  placed  on  a  legiti- 
mate basis  by  the  formation  of  brokers'  boards  in  the  cities  where 
the  heaviest  trade  was  carried  on,  and  the  establishment  of  regular 
rates  of  brokerage. 

In  1869,  Erie  "cornered"  the  market,  and  by  the  large  transac- 
tions in  crude  on  the  creek,  influenced  the  refined  markets  of  New 
York  and  Cleveland,  thus  bringing  them  in,  as  extensive  buyers 
and  opening  these  important  points  also  to  the  brokers.  Since 
that  time,  with  each  succeeding  year  they  have  assumed  a  more 
important  position  in  commercial  circles,  till  now  all  over  the 
country,  wherever  oil  is  produced  or  shipped,  either  crude  or  re- 
fined, the  greater  part  of  the  transactions  are  executed  by  brokers. 
A  broker's  business  consists  of  buying  and  selling  "spot," 
"  regular  "  and  "  future  "  oil.  As  these  are  expressions  which 
will  convey  to  the  uninitiated  no  idea  of  the  particular  trade 


280  HISTOEY   OF    PETROLEUM. 

named,  a  few  words  may  be  appropriately  given  in  explanation  : 
"  Spot "  is  the  term  used  when  the  oil  is  to  be  moved  and  paid  for 
immediately ;  "  regular  "  is  where  the  buyer  is  allowed  ten  days 
in  which  to  put  in  his  cars  and  take  out  the  oil.  These  are  parol 
contracts  and  without  writings,  the  broker  acting  under  orders 
from  his  principal,  whom  he  names  to  the  other  party,  and  he 
being  often  the  only  witness  to  the  trade;  but  in  the  case  of 
"  futures,"  this  is  not  the  custom,  as  the  fulfillment  of  these  takes 
place  at  the  expiration  of  the  agreed  time.  A  written  contract  is 
drawn  by  the  broker  and  signed  by  him  as  such.  This  is  accepted 
by  both  parties,  and  is  equally  binding,  the  one  agreeing  to  sell 
and  the  other  to  take  a  certain  quantity  of  oil  within  a  certain 
period  of  time,  at  a  price  named  in  the  contract,  which  also  speci- 
fies that  the  party,  in  whose  favor  the  contract  be  drawn,  shall 
give  to  the  other  ten  days'  notice,  within  which  he  will  move  the 
oil.  Regular  future  contracts  are  buyers'  and  sellers1  options.  In 
the  first,  the  buyer  has  a  right  to  demand  the  oil  at  any  time  he 
sees  fit;  and  by  the  last,  the  seller  can  put  it  in  whenever  he 
chooses,  all  within  the  time  as  named  in  the  contract.  By  these 
contracts  the  buyer  is  also  bound  to  take  the  oil  or  pay,  or  take  a 
difference  in  money  according  as  the  trade  has  proved  in  his 
favor  or  against  him,  and  this  difference  is  that  between  the  con- 
tract price  and  the  regular  market  rate  on  the  last  of  the  ten 
notice  days. 

I  have  spoken  of  these  as  regular  contracts,  because  there  is  a 
species  of  contract  by  which  the  amount  of  difference  is  named  and 
limited  at  the  start.  These  are  called  "  puts  "  and  "  calls." 

A  "  put "  is  where  one  party  agrees  to  give  a  certain  sum  of 
money — to  be  paid  at  once — for  the  privilege  of  delivering  a 
named  quantity  of  oil  at  a  price  also  named,  within  an  agreed  time. 

A  "  call  "  is  when  the  money  is  paid  for  the  right  to  call  on  the 
other  to  deliver  the  oil.  In  these  cases  the  prices  of  the  "  put "  or 
called  oil  is  generally  higher  than  the  rate  of  regular  contracts  for 
ihe  .same  time.  This  is  because  it  is  a  one-sided  affair — since 


OIL  BROKERAGE.  281 

under  no  circumstances  can  the  acceptor  of  the  offer  get  more  than 
the  amount  bid,  while  if  the  market  goes  against  him,  he  is  obliged 
to  settle  the  difference  at  what  may  prove  a  heavy  loss. 

In  all  regular  contracts  the  seller  pays  the  brokerage ;  but  in 
these  irregular  trades  there  is  yet  no  established  custom  as  to  which 
of  the  parties  it  is  due  from.  In  New  York  the  commission  is 
three  cents  per  barrel ;  in  Gil  City  and  on  the  Creek  it  is  two-and- 
one-half  cents.  There  is,  however,  one  obstacle  in  this  business  to' 
which  brokerage  in  other  commodities  is  not  liable.  I  refer  to  the 
fact  that  in  all  futures  the  broker  has  to  wait  for  the  fulfillment  of 
the  contract  ere  he  can  collect  his  commission,  and  if  either  party 
fails,  he  loses  his  pay.  By  this  he  is  actually  made  to  insure  the 
solvency  of  both  parties  to  the  amount  of  his  brokerage,  which  is 
a  manifest  injustice.  His  business  ought  to  end  with  the  issue  and 
acceptance  of  the  contract,  and  though  it  is  customary  for  brokers 
to  attend  to  the  taking  or  delivery  of  oil  for  their  principals,  they 
get  no  additional  pay  for  this  extra  work. 

In  a  business  like  this,  the  market  is  liable  to  great  and  sudden 
fluctuations.  A  combination  is  often  formed  to  lower  or  raise  the 
price  of  oil,  and  this  is  especially  the  case  as  the  time  approaches 
when  a  number  of  contracts  mature.  The  bulls  and  bears  are 
then  rampant,  and  the  talk  is  all  of  the  "  long  "  and  "  short " 
order.  The  close  of  the  first,  and  last  half  of  the  year,  is  generally 
marked  by  some  such  struggle,  and  the  brokers  buy  and  sell  thou- 
sands of  barrels  of  "  paper  "  oil,  to  effect  settlements  of  the  six 
months7  contracts  that  are  coming  due. 

Brokers  are,  by  the  nature  of  their  business,  very  closely  con- 
nected. Each  has  his  correspondent  "  on  the  Creek "  and  elsewhere, 
with  whom  he  shares  the  brokerage  arising  from  the  purchases  or 
sales  made  through  their  joint  exertions  ;  and  it  often  happens  that 
each  broker  is  obliged  to  call  in  the  oil  of  another,  till  the  commis- 
sion is  so  divided  and  sub-divided  that  it  will  hardly  pay  the  tele- 
graph bills  of  the  different  parties.  In  fact,  brokerage,  is  a  hard- 
worked  and  poorly-paid  profession,  and  yet  there  is  an  excitement 


282 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


about  it  that  forms  a  great  attraction.  The  men  are  a  jolly,  jovial 
set,  free  and  generous  with  their  money  and  kind  offices,  and  as 
their's^is  a  business  where  much  is  of  necessity  left  to  their  honor, 
each  man  takes  a  pride  in  keeping  his  word  on  an  equal  footing 
with  his  bond. 

Efforts  are  constantly  being  made  to  place  brokerage  upon  a  still 
higher  and  more  responsible  footing.  During  1871,  by  the  exer- 
tions of  prominent  men  identified  with  the  trade,  regular  exchanges 
were  established  both  in  Titusville  and  Oil  City.  The  members 
of  these  are  bound  by  the  most  rigid  laws  of  equitable  trade,  and 
by  a  wise  arrangement  of  arbitration  committees,  very  much  liti- 
gation is  avoided.  Within  these  halls  of  exchange,  all  possible 
aids  to  business  are  gathered. 

Every  facility  is  offered  by  telegraphic  communication  with  both 
home  and  foreign  markets  for  a  thorough  and  accurate  knowledge 
of  the  condition  of  affairs.  Membership  is  not  limited  to  brokers ; 
but  dealers,  producers  and  consumers  are  admitted  to  the  benefits 
thereof,  and  meet  on  the  same  footing.  By  such  an  arrangement, 
the  best  interests  of  all  are  consulted,  buyers  and  sellers  are  brought 
together,  and  the  brokers,  through  whom  this  is  effected,  take  their 
rightful  position  before  the  world  as  a  useful  and  honorable  body 
of  men. 


OIL   PIPE  LINES.  283 


OIL  PIPE  LINES. 


EXTENT  IN  THE  PENNSYLVANIA  OIL  EEGION. 

THE  iron  pipe  lines  for  the  conveyance  of  oil  from  the  wells  to 
railway  shipping  points  play  an  important  part  in  the  transportation 
of  the  article.  The  difficulties  experienced  in  conveying  oil  by 
teams  in  the  early  years  of  the  petroleum  discoveries  and  develop- 
ments suggested  the  idea  of  using  wrought-iron  pipes  for  the  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Samuel  Van  Syckel,  of  Titusville,  was,  we  believe,  the 
first  to  reduce  the  idea  to  practice.  The  first  pipe  line,  four  miles 
in  length,  was  put  down  by  him  in  1865,  and  extended  from  Pit 
Hole  to  the  railway,  at  Miller's  Farm.  Like  many  other  innova- 
tions, the  idea  was  received  with  doubts  and  misgivings  at  first,  but 
after  a  variety  of  changing  fortunes,  it  at  length  worked  its  way  into 
public  favor,  and  was  pronounced  a  success.  From  this  small  be- 
ginning has  arisen  a  whole  net-work  of  pipe  lines,  covering  the 
entire  oil-producing  territory  and  introducing  an  entirely  new  sys- 
tem of  transportation. 

Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  Van  Syckel  line  from  Pit  Hole 
to  Miller  Farm,  Mr.  Henry  Harley  had  a  line  in  successful  opera- 
tion from  Benninghoff  Hun  to  Shaffer  Farm,  on  the  Oil  Creek 
railroad.  A  fuller  account  of  both  these  lines  of  pipe,  is  given  in 
the  sketches  of  Messrs.  Abbott  and  Harley,  and  to  these  we  refer 
the  reader.  Suffice  it  to  say  here,  that  "  The  Pennsylvania  Trans- 
portation Company  "  own  and  operate  nearly  five  hundred  miles  of 
pipe  line  in  the  upper  oil  region. 

Messrs.  Vandergrift  and  Foreman,  of  Oil  City,  are  extensively 


284  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

interested  in  pipe  line  enterprises,  and  own  and  operate  several  in 
the  upper  as  well  as  the  lower  oil  field.  They  have  one  line  from 
Pit  Hole  to  Paxton,  10  miles ;  one  from  Fagundas  to  Trunkey- 
ville,  10  miles ;  one  from  the  Shaw  farm  to  Oil  City,  4J  miles ; 
one  from  Sandy  to  Oil  City,  11 J  miles,  and  one  from  the  Miller 
farm  to  Oil  City,  in  one  direction,  and  to  Franklin  in  the  opposite 
direction,  7  miles. 

"  The  Rochester  and  Oleopolis  Transportation  Company,"  of 
Oil  City,  have  a  line  from  Oleopolis  to  Oil  City — six  miles — com- 
posed of  six-inch  pipe.  This  line  and  its  capacity  was  found  to  be 
necessary  during  the  great  product  of  1865  at  Pit  Hole — five  to 
six  thousand  barrels  per  day. 

Grandin  Bros.  &  Neyhart  own  and  operate  extensive  lines  of 
pipe  at  Tidioute,  Fagundas,  and  elsewhere  in  that  vicinity. 

Mr.  Payne  and  Mr.  Martin,  of  Petroleum  Centre,  are  each  ope- 
rating a  number  of  short  lines  for  the  convenience  of  producers  in 
that  locality. 

The  Cherrytree  pipe  line  was  one  of  the  earliest  constructed. 
It  runs  from  Kane  City  to  the  Rynd  Farm,  is  15  miles  in  length, 
and  is  owned  by  John  Wallace  &  Co.,  of  Rouseville. 


THE  LOWER  DISTRICT  PIPE  LINES. 

The  following  is  a  very  complete  estimate  of  the  Pipe  Lines  of 
the  Lower  Oil  Field,  comprising  nine  different  lines,  all  of  them 
gathering  in  the  oil  to  places  of  shipment  on  the  Allegany  Valley 
Railroad.  The  extent  and  ramification  of  these  lines  is  surprising, 
and  testifies  to  the  importance  of  the  transactions  in  that  direction. 

The  Emlenton  Pipe  Line  is  50  miles  in  length,  carrying  the  oil 
from  Upper  Turkey^Run. 

The  Antwerp  Pipe  Line  runs  from  Upper  Turkey  Run,  and 
points  adjacent,  and  is  about  50  miles  in  length. 

The   Mutual  Pipe  Company's  lines,  consist  of  nine   different 


OIL  PIPE  LINES.  285 

branches,  running  from  the  following  points :  Upper  and  Lower 
Turkey  Run,  Clarion  District,  St.  Petersburg!],  Antwerp  City, 
and  points  as  far  as  Beaver  Creek,  and  is  100  miles  in  length. 

The  Grant  Pipe  Line  runs  from  the  Grant  farm  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Allegany,  coming  out  at  Parker's  Landing,  and  is  20 
miles  in  extent. 

The  Union  Pipe  Line  runs  from  the  Bear  Creek  District,  Sheak- 
ley,  Argyle,  Petrolia,  Karns  City,  Millerstown  and  Modoc  City, 
and  is  in  all,  125  miles  in  length. 

The  Cleveland  Pipe  Line  Co.  (S.  D.  Karns,  owner,)  runs  from 
Karns  City  and  Greece  City,  and  is  40  miles  in  length. 

The  Fairview  Pipe  Line,  owned  by  Vandergrift  and  Foreman  of 
Oil  City,  runs  from  Sheakley,  Petrolia,  Greece  City,  Millerstown 
and  Modoc.  Total  length,  125  miles. 

Relief  Pipe  Line  runs  from  Story  Farm  and  Armstrong  Kun, 
and  is  some  12  miles  in  extent. 

The  Butler  Pipe  Line  runs  from  Greece  City,  Modoc,  Millers- 
town,  and  intervening  points,  to  the  Butler  Branch  Railway,  and  is 
sixty  miles  in  length. 

With  the  lines  now  in  operation,  in  course  of  construction,  and 
those  surveyed,  soon  to  be  commenced,  the  Oil  Region  of  Pennsyl- 
vania will  soon  have  upwards  of  2,000  miles  of  pipe  lines  for  the 
transportation  of  oil ! 

.  There  are  a  few  gravity  pipe  lines ;  but  generally  the  oil  is  forced 
through  the  lines  by  pumping.  The  capacity  of  each  line  is  about 
1,500  barrels  in  every  twenty-four  hours.  In  some  districts,  the 
lines  are  run  up  to  their  capacity,  while  in  others  they  do  not 
exceed  half  that  amount.  The  present  cost  of  the  pipe  used  is 
about  30  cents  per  foot ;  and  the  average  cost  of  the  lines,  including 
pipes,  tanks,  pumps  and  boilers,  is  about  $1,500  per  mile.  A 
large  share  of  the  production  is  purchased  at  the  wells  by  the  com- 
panies, and  then  transported  on  their  own  account.  Many  of  the 
large  producers,  however,  prefer  marketing  their  own  oil,  and  em- 
ploy the  pipe  companies  to  transport  it  to  the  railway.  The  charge 


286 


HISTOEY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


varies  from  20  to  30  cents  per  barrel,  according  to  distance.  In 
such  cases,  the  oil  is  usually  pumped  into  the  company's  tanks,  and 
from  these,  42  gallons  are  delivered  for  each  43  gallons  received 
at  the  well — the  one  gallon  per  barrel  being  deducted  for  wastage. 
The  pipe  lines  are  increasing  with  the  development  of  new  pro- 
ducing territory,  and  are  proving  a  source  of  great  benefit  to  the 
producers,  as  well  as  of  profit  to  the  companies. 


EAELY  AND  LATER  MODES  OF  TRANSPORTATION 
The  early  operator  had  many  difficulties  to*  contend  with  in  the 
transportation  of  his  oil  to  market,  as  the  only  mode  of  land- 
carriage  consisted  in  hauling  the  oil  from  the  wells  to  Titusville, 
Oil  City,  or  other  shipping  points.  The  roads  were  bad,  and  when 
much  used  and  in  wet  weather,  they  then  became  almost  impassa- 
ble. The  author  of  Petrolia,  writing  on  this  subject,  says : 

"Oil  Creek  mud"  attained  a  fame  in  the  earlier  and  subsequent 
years,  that  will  be  fresh  in  the  memory  of  those  who  saw  and  were 
compelled  to  wade  through  it.  Teamsters  and  horse-men  swore 
both  loud  and  deep  at  it.  Newspaper  correspondents  exhausted  all 
their  adjectives,  epithets,  and  expletives  in  essaying  to  give  a  faint 
description  of  its  demerits.  "Weary  pedestrian  pilgrims,  like  Bun- 
yan's  Christian,  were  inclined  to  part  with  their  knapsacks  after  a 
brief  experience;  ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  devoted  laymen, 
earnestly  desired  sustaining  grace  while  urging  their  weary  beasts 
over  and  through  it.  Mud,  deep,  and  indescribably  disgusting, 
covered  all  the  main  and  by-roads  in  wet  weather,  while  the  streets 
of  the  towns  composing  the  chief  shipping  points,  had  the  appear- 
ance of  liquid  lakes  or  lanes  of  mud." 

The  difficulties  of  moving  the  thousands  of  barrels  of  oil  which 
it  was  necessary  to  transport,  can  be  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. It  was  indeed  a  huge  task,  and  many  were  the  mishaps 


OIL   PIPE    LINES.  287 

attendant  upon  the  rough  and  swearing  teamsters,  as  was  evidenced 
to  any  one  passing  along  the  line  of  roads  leading  to  a  large  ship- 
ping point,  as  the  way  was  literally  strewn  with  broken  wagons, 
dead  horses,  oil  barrels,  filled  and  empty.  Some  one  conceived  the 
idea  of  conveying  the  oil  down  Oil  Creek  to  the  Allegany  in  flat 
boats,  to  hold  the  oil  in  barrels  or  bulk,  and  the  employment  of 
pond-freshets  to  float  the  boats,  when  laden  with  oil.  Flat-bottom 
boats  were  procured  from  the  upper  Allegany,  and  from  all  points 
where  they  were  built.  Arrangements  were  made  with  the  mill- 
owners  at  the  head- waters  of  Oil  Creek,  for  the  use  of  their  surplus 
water  at  stated  intervals.  The  boats  were  towed  up  the  creek  by 
horses — not  by  a  tow-path,  but  through  the  stream — to  the  various 
points  of  loading,  and  when  laden  they  were  floated  off  upon  a 
pond-freshet.  The  amount  of  oil  brought  down  upon  one  of  these 
pond-freshets  averaged  from  15,000  to  20,000  barrels — the  largest 
quantity  ever  brought  out  of  "  the  creek "  upon  a  single  freshet, 
would  not  exceed  40,000  barrels.  The  oil  was  transferred  at  the 
Oil  wharves  at  Oil  City  to  a  larger  and  better  class  of  boats,  and 
floated  down  the  Allegany  to  Pittsburgh. 

At  one  time  over  1,000  boats  were  employed  on  the  creek  and 
river,  and  in  addition  to  these  there  were  some  thirty  steamers,  pas- 
senger and  tow-boats  engaged  in  the  same  traffic.  This  oil  float 
furnished  employment  to  about  4,000  men. 

Collisions  and  "jams"  were  of  common  occurrence;  a  boat 
would  by  some  mismanagement  get  aground,  and  thus  swing 
round,  by  the  force  of  the  stream,  when  it  filled  with  water  and 
sunk.  Against  this  obstacle  the  advancing  boats  dashed  with 
great  force,  the  weaker  ones  becoming  splintered  from  the  concus- 
sion, the  stronger  ones  being  wedged  fast,  in  the  order  in  which 
they  came,  and  thus  formed  what  is  familiarly  known  on  Oil  Creek 
as  "a  jam."  During  the  freshet  of  May,  1864,  a  "jam"  occurred 
at  Oil  City,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  from  20,000  to  30,000 
barrels  of  oil. 

The  magnitude  of  the  oil  business,  soon  attracted  the  attention 


288  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

of  railroads  running  near  the  Oil  Region.  The  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  Railway,  first  built  a  branch  road  from  their  main  line, 
at  Meadville,  to  Franklin,  thus  opening  an  avenue  of  traffic 
to  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Cleveland.  About  this  time, 
1861-2,  the  Oil  Creek  road  was  projected  and  built  from  Corry  to 
Titusville,  thus  connecting  with  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  Rail- 
road. The  Oil  Creek  road  was  gradually  extended  down  the 
valley  of  Oil  Creek,  to  Shaffer  farm.  In  the  winter  of  1865  and 
1866,  the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western,  extended  their  branch  road, 
from  Franklin  to  Oil  City.  We  need  not  here  occupy  the  reader's 
attention  with  a  particular  account  of  railroad  developments  in  the 
Oil  Region.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  the  country  has  ample  ac- 
commodation in  this  respect  at  the  present  moment. 

With  the  advent  of  railroads,  the  mode  of  doing  business  was 
revolutionized.  Car  tanks  were  brought  into  use,  each  car  being 
mounted  with  two  wooden  tanks,  having  a  capacity  of  about  forty 
barrels  each,  and  by  the  aid  of  pipe  lines,  were  filled  upon  the  rail- 
road track  with  great  ease,  and  at  much  less  expense,  compared 
with  the  old  system.  The  wooden  car  tanks,  have  latterly  given 
way  to  the  iron  cylinder-shaped  single  tank,  which  holds  about  the 
same  amount  of  oil,  as  the  two  wooden  tanks.  These  are  used  for 
transporting  both  crude  and  refined  oils.  A  great  many  railroad 
companies  own  iron  car  tanks  for  the  transit  of  oil.  There  are,  on 
all  the  railroads  that  handle  petroleum,  about  2500  iron  bulk  cars, 
of  an  average  capacity  of  eighty-five  barrels  to  a  car,  giving  a 
tankage  capacity  now  on  wheels  of  212,500  barrels.  Cars  that 
carry  oil  in  barrels  are  not  included  in  this  aggregate. 

The  expense  of  hauling  by  team,  was  an  important  and  expen- 
sive item,  and  helped  to  reduce  the  gross  price  of  oil.  During 
the  spring  and  summer  of  1862,  the  price  paid  for  hauling  or 
teaming  oil,  from  the  flowing  wells  on  the  lower  McElhenny  farm, 
to  Oil  City  and  Titusville  was,  from  half  a  dollar  to  a  dollar  and 
a  half  per  barrel.  Later  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  three  dollars  to 
three  dollars  and  fifty,  and  even  four  dollars  per  barrel  was  paid, 


OIL  PIPE   LINES.  289 

for  hauling  from  the  Empire  well  (McElhenny  farm)  to  Titusville. 
We  have  it  from  a  reliable  gentleman,  BARNEY  BOSCH,  now  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Titusville,  that  he  had  in  his  employment,  a 
teamster  for  a  period  of  nine  weeks  during  which  time,  this  "  oil 
forwarder  "  drew  only  money  sufficient  for  the  necessities  of  life  and 
horse  feed!  The  man  slept  in  his  wagon  or  under  it,  seldom 
washed,  and  during  the  nine  weeks,  never  changed  a  single  article 
of  clothing.  At  the  expiration  of  his  nine  weeks'  services,  he 
"thought  he'd  go  home  for  a  clean  shirt,  &c.,"  and  called  upon 
Mr.  Bosch  for  a  settlement.  The  amount  standing  to  his  credit 
was  nineteen  hundred  dollars  1 


19 


A  Scene  iu  the  Lower  Oil  Field. 

OPERATING   WELLS   BY   GAS-LTGHT. 


THE   LOWER   OIL   FIELD.  291 


THE  LOWER  OIL  FIELD. 


ST.  PETERSBURG,  FOXBURGH,  PARKER'S  LANDING, 
AND  BUTLER  COUNTY,  PA. 

IN  the  year  1860,  Thomas  McConnell,  W.  D.  Robinson,  Smith 
K.  Campbell,  and  Col.  J.  B.  Findlay,  of  Kittanning,  purchased 
two  acres  of  land  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Allegany  river,  about 
ninety  rods  north  of  Tom's  Run,  from  Elisha  Robinson,  Sen.,  and 
organized  the  "Foxburgh  Oil  Company/'  consisting  of  sixteen 
shares,  and  commenced  putting  down  a  well,  which  reached  a  depth 
of  460  feet,  when  an  accident  occurred  to  obstruct  operations 
for  a  few  days.  In  the  interval  the  war  broke  out,  and  the  excite- 
ment incident  thereto,  stopped  all  further  work  on  the  premises, 
and  the  well  was  abandoned. 

Subsequently  the  same  parties  purchased  100  acres,  known  as 
the  Tom's  Run  Tract,  from  Mr.  Robinson,  for  which  they  paid  $50 
per  acre.  In  1865,  the  Company  sold  about  thirty  acres  of  this 
purchase  to  a  number  of  gentlemen  in  Philadelphia,  for  the  sum  of 
$20,000.  On  these  30  acres  the  "  Clarion  and  Allegany  River 
Oil  Company"  put  down  their  first  well,  which  struck  oil  in  Oc- 
tober, 1865,  the  first  to  produce  in  that  locality.* 

Many  were  the  scoffs  and  jeers  and  insulting  remarks  made 

*  Operations,  during  1863-4,  had  been  commenced  and  were  successfully  prosecuted 
on  the  Clarion  River ,  near  the  Allegany,  above  Parker's  Landing,  by  a  Philadelphia 
Company  or  Companies,  and  the  developments  they  made  established  the  character 
of  the  surrounding  country  for  oil  purposes. 


292 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


about  these  first  operators.  They  were  held  up  to  ridicule  by  men 
of  means,  as  well  as  by  others,  and  were  euphoniously  called  "crazy/' 
having  "  oil  on  the  brain/'  etc.  The  followers  of  these  pioneers 
are  now,  however,  numerous. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  well  of  1860,  was  put  down  on  territory 
which  has  since  proved  dry ;  and  had  it  then  been  finished  would 
have  undoubtedly  been  a  failure,  and  possibly  prevented  all  future 
development  in  this  region.  But  it  was  not  to  be  so.  It  was 
abandoned  for  a  period  of  four  years  before  the  "  Allegany  and 
Clarion  River  "  well,  had  been  commenced,  and  which,  proving  a 
success,  gave  this  field  to  the  world  at  a  time  when  Venango  was 
rapidly  declining  in  product. 

The  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region  is  divided  into  two  grand  divisions, 
termed  the  Upper  and  Lower  region,  or  the  Creek  region,  and 
River  or  Parker's  Landing  region.  The  tendency  for  operations 
has  of  late  moved  towards  this  lower  division  of  the  Oil  field. 
Here,  the  great  bulk  of  the  present  production  is  obtained,  and 
here  are  to  be  found  the  leading  men  of  this  great  industry.  From 
the  first  developments  in  this  section,  operations  have  been  con- 
ducted on  the  theory  of  a  belt,  or  series  of  belts. 

In  1868,  some  wells  were  struck  at  Lawrenceburg,  situate  on  the 
hill,  just  above  Parker's  Landing.  A  well-known  operator,  Mr. 
Marcus  Brownson,  of  Titusville/acting  on  data — the  result  of  actual 
operations,  projected  a  line  or  belt  from  this  point  north,  22  degrees 
east,  and  south  22  degrees  west,  in  breadth  about  five  miles,  and  in 
length  as  now  developed,  about  35  miles,  and  venturesome  operators 
soon  opened  up  a  belt,  the  end  of  which  has  not  yet  been  reached  in 
either  direction.  Many  were  stimulated  to  "  Wildcat,"  and  it  was 
found  that  north-east  of  this,  which  may  be  termed  the  central 
belt,  is  one  extending  up  the  Clarion  river,  out  through  Turkey 
Run,  in  Clarion  County.  Southward  it  passes  a  little  to  the  west 
of  Millerstown,  Butler  County.  To  the  westward  of  the  eastern, 
or  central  belt,  is  another,  extending  and  developed  from  the  Russel 
farm,  opposite  Antwerp,  in  Clarion  County,  to  a  point  abreast 


THE  LOWER   OIL  FIELDS.  293 

of  Lawrenceburg  on  the  east,  with  the  Robinson,  Black  and  Grant 
farms,  which  may  be  termed  the  western  belt.  Then,  there  is  a 
break  in  the  development  in  this  middle  belt  of  some  three  miles, 
until  the  Stonehouse  property  is  reached  on  the  west^line.  This 
belt  will  pass  not  less  than  five  miles  to  the  left,  or  east  of  the 
borough  of  Butler,  Butler  County.  Between  the  central  and  east 
belts  the  distance  is  about  one  mile ;  between  the  central  and  west 
belt  about  three  miles.  The  eastern  belt  is  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance ;  in  fact,  the  middle  belt  appears  to  run  into  it,  after  they 
cross  Bear  Creek,  east  of  Lawrenceburg.  (We  ought  here  to  say 
that  many  operators  differ  in  their  opinions,  from  this  last  sug- 
gestion.) Actual  developments  north-east  of  Lawrenceburg  show 
that  this  eastern  belt  runs  through  Parker's  Landing,  Foxburgh,  St. 
Petersburg,  Antwerp,  etc.  Below,  and  just .  across  Bear  Creek,  are 
the  Say,  and  the  Stonehouse  farms.  Then  follow,  lying  end  to  end, 
the  Fletcher  and  Campbell  farms;  the  Martin  and  Hutchinson, 
the  Gibson  and  Turner  farms ;  the  Robert  Campbell  and  Marcus 
Brownson  farms;  the  Mayville  tract;  the  James  Campbell  and  Ward 
farms ;  the  Canada  Oil  Company  and  A.  L.  Campbell  and  Wilson 
farms;  the  Blaney  and  Dougherty  farms  at  Petrolia  City;  the 
McClymonds,  Wilson  and  Bank  farms ;  the  J.  B.  Campbell  and 
Adams  farms ;  the  Story  and  Riddle  farms  at  Karns  City ;  and  last, 
the  Moore  and  Hepler  farms,  now  known  as  the  Angell  Oil  Com- 
pany's tract,  which  consists  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres,  and 
lying  in  the  Millerstown  belt.  From  Bear  Creek  to  the  Angell 
tract,  the  distance  is  about  ten  miles,  and  the  average  width  four 
miles,  giving  an  area  of  forty  square  miles  developed  or  in  process 
of  development. 

Prominent  among  the  first  wells  of  this  region,  and  perhaps  we 
should  say  the  belt  just  described,  was  the  noted  one  on  the  Mc- 
Clymonds' Farm,  at  the  date  of  its  completion,  one  mile  and  a-half 
in  advance  of  other  developments.  It  was  drilled  some  fourteen 
hundred  feet,  fifty  feet  deeper  than  the  wells  thereabouts,  and  the 
owner,  fearing  the  rock  had  run  out,  sold  it  as  a  dry  hole  to  More- 


294  HISTORY  OF    PETROLEUM. 

head,  Tack  and  Preston,  \vho  purchased  it  solely  on  the  strength  of 
their  belief  in  the  existence  of  belts.  Three  hours  after  they  had 
purchased  it  the  drill  entered  the  sand,  and  before  the  well  could 
be  tubed  seven  hundred  barrels  of  oil  .flowed  out  of  it !  Their  suc- 
cess encouraged  others,  and  the  intervening  territory  was  rapidly 
developed.  A  town  called  Karns  City,  a  compliment  to  Mr.  S. 
D.  Karns,  a  well-known  operator,  was  soon  built  up. 

The  success  at  Karns  City  greatly  emboldened  operators,  and  the 
line  of  the  western  belt  was  then  projected  .in  the  direction  of  But- 
ler, seven  miles  out.  Several  wells 'were  started  on  the  Jamieson 
Farm,  in  the  latter  part  of  last  year.  Four  of  them  produced  two 
hundred  barrels  per  day  for  a  considerable  time.  This  point  has 
since  been  called  Greece  City,  and  now  has  a  population  of  4,000 
to  5,000.  This  is  the  largest  jump  ever  taken,  there  being  some 
four  or  five  miles  of  undeveloped  territory  in  the  rear.  On  the 
Angell  Oil  Company's  territory,  lying  on  the  line  of  the  central  or 
eastern  belts,  successful  strikes  have  but  recently  been  made,  and 
thus  all  the  territory  near  or  between  it  and  Fairview,  a  distance 
of  some  two  miles,  has  been  opened. 

The  St.  Petersburg  district,  upon  the  east  side  of  the  Allegany 
River  (it  may  be  said  to  be  from  one  to  eight  miles  from  it,  and  its 
limit  has  not  yet  been  reached)  is  north-east  of  the  Butler  oil  field. 
The  general  direction  of  the  belt,  like  that  just  described,  is  north- 
east and  south-west.  Developments  in  this  district  were  com- 
menced in  the  summer  of  1869,  and  the  first  well  was  struck  in 
September  of  that  year.  This  was  the  "  Mead  Well,"  south  of  the 
Clarion  River  and  near  its  mouth.  Soon  after  the  Elephant  "Well, 
near  the  first  named  was  struck.  Parties  then  began  to  extend  de- 
velopments north  of  the  river,  and  in  October  following,  a  well 
was  struck  there,  and  operations  continued  on  up  the  Allegany,  to, 
where  Foxburgh  now  stands.  The  wells  on  this  portion  of  the  new 
field  were  not  extraordinarily  large.  The  pioneer  who  pushed  de- 
velopments back  from  the  Allegany  to  St.  Petersburgh,  was  Marcus 
Hulings,  who  struck  the  Hulings'  or  "  Antwerp  "Well/'  in  Novem- 


THE   LOWER  OIL   FIELDS.  295 

her,  1871.  This  well  started  up  at  the  rate  of  100  barrels  per  day, 
and  maintained  this  production  for  some  time.  It  is  still  produc- 
ing oil,  and  pumps  about  seven  barrels  per  day.  Within  two 
weeks  after  the  Hulings'  well  was  struck,  twenty-five  wells  were 
commenced  on  the  J.  J.  Ashbaugh  and  Dan  Bitz  farms,  in  and 
around  the  borough  of  St.  Petersburg.  The  farms  between  the  Al- 
legany  River  and  -St.  Petersburg  were  soon  taken  up  by  active  ope- 
rators, and  derricks  were  rapidly  reared  all  along  the  line.  These 
farms  are  the  Frederick  Rupert,  Whitting,  Shoup,  Collins,  Foust 
and  Keating.  Then  commenced  the  building  up  of  St.  Petersburg, 
which  is  now  one  of  the  important  villages  of  the  lower  oil  field. 
Early  in  the  spring  of  1872,  building  went  on  rapidly,  (it  had  pre- 
viously been  a  farming  settlement  and  centre,)  as  there*  was  a  large 
influx  of  population.  Houses  were  put  up  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five 
per  day.  Shortly  afterwards  it  was  incorporated  as  a  borough.  The 
distance  from  the  Allegany  to  St.  Petersburg  is  two  miles.  A 
quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  St.  Petersburg  stands  the  village  of  Ant- 
werp. St.  Petersburg  contains  a  population  of  2,500  to  3,000. 

The  thickness  of  the  oil-bearing  rock  in  this  district  is  twenty- 
five  feet  nine  inches.  The  average  depth  of  the  well  is  975  feet. 
The  deepest  is  the  Fountain  Well,  which  is  1241  feet.  The  shal- 
lowest, the  Antwerp  or  Hulings'  Well,  which  is  790  feet.  These 
two  wells  are  half  a  mile  apart. 

The  lower  oil  field  proper,  is  varied  and  beautiful  in  scenery. 
The  land  is  rolling,  fertile  and  fairly  cultivated.  The  homes  of 
the  old  settlers  bear  the  marks  of  peace  and  plenty.  The  hills  and 
valleys  contain  rich  deposits  of  coal,  and  their -Jbowels,  rivers  of 
oil.  " 

Recent  developments  have  centred  at  points  lying  between  and 
including  Petrolia  and  Fairview  on  the  north,  and  Millerstown  on 
the  south,  and  Karns  City  on  the  east,  and  Greece  City  on  the 
west,  all  in  Butler  Co.,  Pa.,  which  comprise  the  best  producing  oil 
territory  of  late  years.  At  no  period  in  the  history  of  petroleum 
developments  has  there  existed  such  a  large  number  of  flowing 


296  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

wells  as  are  to  be  found  at  the  present  writing,  and  at  no  time  has 
there  been  so  large  a  production  of  oil. 

The  country  has  been  chiefly  developed  by  combinations  of  indi- 
viduals, some  ventures  being  divided  into  sixteenths.  The  most 
prominent  gentlemen  engaged  in  developing  this  territory  are  S. 
D.  Karns,  C.  D.  Angell,  Parker,  Thompson  &  Co.,  Lambing  Bro- 
thers, Campbell  Bros.,  Fisher  Brothers,  Tack  Brothers,  Moorhead 
and  Ripley,  Robert  Leckey,  H.  W.  Scott,  F.  F.  A.  Wilson,  Mar- 
cus Brownson,  Dimick,  Nesbitt  &  Co.,  Jno.  Preston,  Jno.  L.  and  J 
C.  McKinney,and  Jno.  H.jGailey,Vandergrift&  Foreman,  Phillips 
Bros.,  H.  L.  Taylor,  Jno.  Satterfield,  Tarbell  &  E^ess,  and  others 
not  known  to  the  writer. 


THE  MODOC  DISTRICT. 

Having  in  the  early  part  of  this  chapter  noted  the  lines  of  devel- 
opment, and  marked  its  progress,  we  will  now  proceed  to  chronicle 
the  more  recent  developments  with  a  brief  sketch  of  the  progress 
of  the  work. 

We  have  already  made  mention  of  the  striking  of  the  Troutman 
well,  on  the  Troutman  farm,  in  that  portion  of  this  oil  field,  known 
as  the  Modoc  City  district.  This  famous  well,  which  began  flow- 
ing enormous  quantities  of  oil  on  the  23d  of  March,  1873,  is  situ- 
ated on  a  tract  of  land  of  some  fifty-five  acres,  upon  which  a  French- 
man named  Troutman  settled  some  four  years  since.  A  party  of 
capitalists,  known  as  "  The  Hope  Oil  Company,"  purchased  the  land 
about  one  year  ago.  This  well  created  great  excitement  among 
operators,  and  soon  extensive  operations  were  commenced  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  amount  of  oil  produced  for  the  first  few  days 
is  variously  estimated  at  from  800  to  1,000  barrels  per  day.  From 
the  23d  of  March  to  the  10th  of  September  of  the  present  year; 
1873,  this  well  produced,  according  to  the  Pipe  Line  Co.'s  receipts, 


THE   LOWER   OIL   FIELDS.  297 

85,413TVff  barrels !  Add  to  this  3,000  barrels,  lost  for  want  of 
tankage — the  first  few  days  of  its  production.  The  production 
on  the  10th  of  September  was  308  barrels,*  after  flowing  five  months 
and  seventeen  days  !  "  The  TROUTMAN"  is  1,440  feet  in  depth,  and 
was  sunk  as  a  test  well,  the  success  of  which  soon  attracted  opera- 
tors to  the  locality.  Surveys  were  made,  and  leases  given  out.  The 
following  shows  the  results  thus  far  of  this  wonderful  territory : 
The  Troutman  Well,  Troutman  farm,  struck  23d  of  March,  BBLS. 
1873,  now  producing  daily,  .  .  .  308 

Capt.  Grace  Well,  John  Starr  farm,  struck  in  July,  '73, 

now  producing  daily,  .  .'  .  .  300 

Boyer  Well,  John  Starr   farm,  struck  in  July,  '73,  now 

producing  daily,     .....  300 

Capt.  Grace  No.  2,  John  Starr  farm,  struck  in  July,  '73, 

now  producing  daily,          ....  300 

Percy  &  Beck  Well,  John  Starr  farm,  struck  in  July,  '73, 

now  producing  daily,          .  .  .  .  250 

Brawley  Well,  Jerry  Starr  farm,  struck  in  July,  '73,  now 

producing,  .....  300 

Captain  Jack  Well,  Harper  farm,  struck  in  July,  '73,  now 

producing  daily,     .  .  .  .  .  200 

Dean  Well,  Harper  Farm,  struck  in  August,  '73,  now  pro- 
ducing daily,          .....  300 
Modoc  Well,  Troutman  farm,  owned  by  Hope  Oil  Co., 

struck  in  August,  '73,  now  producing  daily,  .  300 

W.  W.  Thompson  Well,  Morrow  farm,  struck  in  August, 

'73,  now  producing  daily,  ....  500 

Seep  Well,  McClurg  farm,  struck  in  August,  '73,  now  pro- 
ducing daily,          .....  350 
Fleming  Well,  No.  1,  Kalston  farm,  struck  in  Sept.  6th,  73, 
at  first  produced  at  the  rate  of  700  barrels,  and  is  now 
producing  daily,     .....  500 

*  The  production,  as  reported  above,  is  the  actual  flow  of  the  well  on  Sept.  13th, 
1873. 


298  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

Fleming,   No.  2,    Ralston  farm,  struck  Sept.  6th,  1873,    BBLS. 
flowed  at  the  same  rate  as  No.  1,  and  is  now  doing  daily,         500 

Tip  Top  Well  on  the  Troutman  farm,  started  up  at  700 

on  Sept.  7th,  '73,  and  is  now  producing  daily,  500 

Phillips  and  Vanansdall  well  on  the  Harper  farm,  struck 

1st  Sept.  '73,  and  started  at  500  barrels,  is  now  doing  daily,      300 

Phillips  well  on  the  Sutton  farm,  struck  on  the  1st  Sept. 

'73,  commenced  at  500  barrels  and  is  now  doing,  300 

Miller  well,  on  the   Troutman  farm,  struck  Sept.  3,  '73, 

commenced  at  500,  and  is  now  doing  daily,  350 

Gordon  well,  on  the  McClelland  farm,  struck  28th  Au- 
gust, '73,  commenced  at  350,  and  is  now  doing,  200 

Columbia  well,  on  the  Columbia  Oil  Co.'s  tract,  struck 
7th  Sept.,  '73,  commenced  at  350,  and  is  now  producing 
daily,  225 

The  Markham  and  Jock  well,  struck  llth  Sept.,  '73,  and 

producing,  500 

Capt.  Grace  well,  No.  3,  on  the  Starr  farm,  was  finished 
on  the  4th  Sept.,  '73,  the  well  filled  with  salt  water, 
which  was  cased  off  and  pumping  commenced,  which  is 
now  producing  daily,  150 

These  wells    are   all    situated    in    "THE  MODOC    DISTRICT," 

and  all,  with  one  exception — the  Grace  well,  No.  3 — are  flowing, 

making  a  grand  total  daily  production  of  7,033  barrels ! 

The  Gas  well,  on  the  Banks'  farm  in  the  district,  is  supposed  by 

many  to  have  a  greater  flow  than  the  famous  Newton  gas  well, 

near  Titusville.    It  was  struck  about  the  5th  of  August,  and  a 

volume  of  gas  has  ever  since  been  pouring  forth,  with  a  noise  like 

"  the  rush  of  mighty  waters."     An  attempt  was  made  to  lower  the 

tools  into  this  well,  but  the  tremendous  force  of  gas  forced  them 

out  of  the  hole  ! 

There  are  about  seventy-five  wells  going  down  in  this  district, 

principally  on   the   Troutman,   Ralston,    Starr,   Sutton,   Harper, 

Grover,  McClurg,  and    Brown  farms,  embracing  an  area  of  one 


THE  LOWER  OIL   FIELDS.  299 

thousand  acres.  All  these  wells  flow  through  the  casing,  not 
one  of  them  having  been  tubed.  No  sooner  do  the  tools  strike  the 
sand  rock  than  the  oil  spouts  forth.  A  contrivance  on  the  top  of 
the  casing  having  been  provided,  the  oil  is  allowed  to  flow  undis- 
turbed. 

The  depth  of  the  wells  in  this  district  average  1500  feet.  The 
oil-bearing  sand  rock  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  be- 
ing pebbly  and  porous. 

The  Starr  farm  is  now  owned  by  Phillips  Bros.,  of  Parker's 
Landing,  Pa.,  having  been  recently  purchased  by  them  for  the  sum 
of  $100,000 


GREECE  CITY  DISTRICT. 

The  first  well  struck  in  the  Greece  city  district  was  the  Morrison 
well,  on  the  24th  August,  1872,  on  the  Jameson  farm,  which 
flowed  at  the  rate  of  250  barrels  per  day  for  four  months.  It  then 
gradually  fell  off  and  is  now  producing  40  barrels  per  day.  S.  D. 
Karns  struck  the  next  well,  "  The  Dogley,"  on  the  25th  Decem- 
ber, 1872.  This  well  is  situated  half  a  mile  below  the  Morrison 
well.  It  flowed  liberally  for  several  weeks,  and  is  now  pumped, 
producing  in  moderate  quantities.  A  third  well  was  put  down  by 
the  same  gentleman,  with  what  result  we  could  not  ascertain.  The 
fourth  well,  owned  by  John  Preston,  was  struck  on  the  12th  Janu- 
ary, 1873,  and  began  flowing  at  the  rate  of  130  barrels  per  day, 
and  is  at  present  (Sept.  1873,)  yielding  oil  in  paying  quantities. 
Numbers  of  others  followed  in  close  succession  during  the  latter  part 
of  February,  and  through  March  and  April.  Some  of  these  started 
off  very  largely ;  a  fair  percentage  never  yielded  above  twenty-five 
barrels  per  day,  while  all  fell  off  materially  after  the  first  "spurt." 

The  greatest  number  of  wells  producing  at  this  point  at  any  time 
did  not  exceed  thirty-five.  The  largest  daily  production  never 


300  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

stood  above  1200  barrels  daily,  and  this  occurred  during  the 
months  of  February,  March,  April  and  May  of  the  present  year. 
At  present  the  production  is  about  300  barrels  per  day.  No  new 
wells  are  going  down  here. 


MILLERSTOWN  DISTRICT. 

The  first  well  struck  in  the  Millerstown  district,  was  the  Shreve 
well,  on  the  Stewart  farm,  in  March  of  this  year,  which  produced 
at  the  start  150  barrels  per  day,  and  is  now  doing  125  barrels  per 
day.  Next  came  the  Dr.  James  well,  on  the  Barnhart  farm, 
which  was  struck  in  May,  and  started  off  at  150  barrels,  and  is 
now  doing  130  barrels  per  day. 

The  Lambing  well  followed,  and  produced  100  barrels  per  day, 
and  is  now  doing  fifty  barrels.  This  well  produced  a  large  amount 
of  gas,  and  is  situated  on  the  Barnhart  farm. 

The  Howe  and  Clark  well,  on  the  McDermot  farm,  next  fol- 
lowed, and  produced  at  the  rate  of  125  barrels,  and  continues  to 
produce  75  barrels  per  day. 

The  Green  well,  on  the  Johnston  farm,  never  penetrated  the 
third  sand.  About  the  1st  of  August,  the  Wolf  well  commenced 
flowing  at  150  barrels  per  day.  It  is  situated  on  the  Barnhart 
farm,  and  continues  to  produce  at  the  above  rate. 

The  Carlien  and  Mosier  well,  on  the  McDermot  farm,  began  at 
the  rate  of  150  barrels  on  the  21st  of  August,  and  continues  about 
the  same  rate.  The  Preston  well,  on  the  McKinney  Bros.  & 
Gaily  tract,  was  struck  on  the  10th  of  August,  and  on  striking  the 
oil  rock  was  burned  down.  It  is  now  pumping  at  the  rate  of  100 
barrels  per  day. 

The  Parsons  well,  on  the  McKinney  Bros.  &  Gailey  tract,  was 
struck  on  the  1st  of  September,,  and  flowed  at  the  start,  250  barrels 
per  day,  and  is  now  flowing  200  barrels. 


THE  LOWER  OIL  FIELDS. 


301 


Dr.  J.  McMichael  or  Salsbuiy  well,  on  the  McDermot  farm, 
started  at  125,  and  is  now  doing  75  barrels  per  day. 

The  Farquar  well,  on  the  Farquar  farm,  one  mile  south-east  of 
Millerstown,  was  struck  on  the  20th  of  August,  and  is  now  flow- 
ing 250  barrels  per  day. 

The  Salsbury  well,  No.  2,  owned  by  Dr.  McMichael,  was  struck 
on  the  1st  of  September,  and  started  at  the  rate  of  300  barrels  per 
day,  continuing  to  do  about  the  same  rate. 

The  Dubenspeck  well,  on  the  Dubenspeck  farm,  adjoining  the 
McDermot  farm,  struck  on  the  1st  of  September,  1873,  and  flowed 
300  barrels  per  day.  No  perceptible  reduction  in  the  produce  is 
noticeable  at  the  present  writing. 

A  new  well  on  the  Abidiah  Barnhart  farm,  was  struck  on  the 
10th  of  September,  1873,  and  is  flowing  100  barrels. 

The  Kepler  well,  on  the  Kepler  farm,  struck  on  the  10th  of 
September,  1873,  is  flowing  200  barrels  per  day. 

The  Hulings  well,  on  the  Barnhart  farm,  is  in  the  sand,  and 
flowing  in  large  quantities.  (Sept.  11.) 

The  Shidemantle  well,  on  the  Dubenspeck  farm,  began  flowing 
(llth  Sept.  1873)  at  the  rate  of  250  barrels  per  day 


PETKOLIA  DISTRICT. 

The  first  wells  in  the  Petrolia  district,  were  put  down  by  Messrs. 
Dimick,  Nesbitt  &  Co.,  in  November  and  December,  1871,  on  the 
Sheakley  farms,  which  attracted  considerable  attention  from  opera- 
tors. These  wells  proved  quite  remunerative,  but  it  was  not  till 
April  of  1872,  th^it  the  first  great  strike  was  made  at  Petrolia, 
then  a  rural  district.  Early  in  April,  1872,  Dimick,  Nesbitt  & 
Co.,  finished  the  "  Fanny  Jane  Well,"  which  yielded  liberally  for 
a  considerable  time.  This  successful  venture  was  attended  with 
the  usual  result,  and  forthwith  began  a  regular  rush  for  the  latest 
Oil-Dorado. 


302 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


The  Blaney  Farm  was  purchased  by  Fisher  Bros,  for  $60,000, 
and  other  tracts  in  the  vicinity  were  either  bought  at  extravagant 
prices  or  leased  at  high  rates ;  houses  multiplied  rapidly,  and  ere 
long  the  infant  settlement  presented  all  the  bustle  and  activity 
characteristic  of  new  oil  towns.  Large  numbers  of  wells  on  the 
Blaney,  Wilson,  Jamieson  and  neighboring  farms  produced  in 
abundance.  The  wells  on  the  farms  above  named  are  but  short- 
lived, as  with  few  exceptions  they  declined  materially  within  a 
short  period,  gradually  falling  off,  many  of  these  ceasing  to  yield  in 
paying  quantities  six  months  after  their  completion. 

At  present  a  large  number  of  these  wells  are  shut  down  in  con- 
sequence of  the  low  price  of  oil.  At  present  there  are  only  some 
five  wells  going  down  in  this  section.  No  new  strikes  of  conse- 
quence to  be  recorded  within  the  last  few  months. 


KARNS  CITY  DISTRICT. 

The  success  attending  the  operations  at  Petrolia  induced  opera- 
tors to  extend  developments  further  south,  and  in  May,  of  1872, 
the  Cooper  Bros,  began  on  the  McClymonds  Farm.  This  property 
is  situated  on  a  branch  of  Bear  Creek,  Fairview  township,  one 
mile  and  a-half  from  Petrolia,  and  the  same  distance  from  Fairview. 
In  June  the  Coopers  fearing  it  destined  to  be  a  failure,  disposed  of 
a  well  partly  down  to  S.  D.  Karns,  who  drilled  a  few  feet  deeper 
and  struck  a  hundred  barrel  well.  The  next  was  completed  by 
the  Coopers,  and  for  several  weeks  this  well  flowed  200  barrels  a 
day.  Other  wells  soon  followed,  on  the  J.  B.  ^Campbell,  Story, 
Riddell  and  Kincaid  farms.  On  the  9th  of  January  the  famous 
Salsbury  Well,  on  the  J.  B.  Campbell  farm,  began  to  flow  at  the 
rate  of  over  five  hundred  barrels  per  day.  This  point  became  at 
once  the  centre  of  developments,  and  soon  the  nucleus  of  a  town 
was  built,  which,  as  before  mentioned  in  an  early  part  of  this  chap- 


THE  LOWER  OIL  FIELDS.  303 

ter,  was  named  after  S.  D.  Karns,  and  called  Karns  City.  At 
present  operations  are  at  a  stand-still,  only  five  wells  drilling  in 
this  section  and  forty-three  wells  producing ;  operators  rushing  to 
newer  and  for  the  present  more  productive  fields.  We  ought  here 
to  remark  that  a  fourth  s&nd  has  been  reached  in  two  wells  near 
Karns  City  with  good  results,  which  discovery  is  likely  to  give 
rise  to  the  deepening  of  all  the  small  wells  on  the  line  of  develop- 
ment in  the  neighborhood  of  Karns  City  and  Petrolia.  The  opin- 
ion of  operators  in  regard  to  these  two  wells  differ.  Some  believe 
that  no  oil  exists  in  the  fourth  sand,  while  others  are  of  opinion 
that  the  reckoning  in  these  two  wells  is  correct. 

Passing  through  Karns  City,  one  and  a  half  miles  to  the  south, 
is  the  Moore,  Hepler  and  Myers  farms.  The  first  well  struck  in 
this  section,  was  on  the  31st  of  January  of  the  present  year,  which 
flowed  some  200  barrels  per  day.  Another  was  struck  soon  after- 
wards, which  proved  a  good  well.  Mr.  C.  D.  Angell,  the  owner 
of  the  Moore  &  Hepler  farms,  has  now  five  producing  wells,  doing 
500  barrels  per  day,  and  five  new  wells  going  down. 

A  new  town  has  sprung  up,  on  this  property,  called  in  honor  of 
the  owner,  ANGELICA.  Extensive  operations  are  in  progress  at 
Fairview  and  Angelica. 

Having  now  taken  a  cursory  glance,  at  the  present  state  of  de- 
velopments, and  given  the  initial  operations  at  different  points  of 
interest,  we  will  bring  this  chapter  to  a  close. 

The  importance  of  this  lower  oil  field,  must  be  evident  to  all 
conversant  with  the  history  of  its  steady  development ;  but  we 
would  here  say  that  with  this  rapid  progress  of  developments,  a 
large  and  very  extensive  scope  of  territory  has  been  left  behind 
untouched  and  undeveloped.  Oil  men  pushed  ahead,  only  desiring 
to  make  great  conquests  in  the  way  of  flowing  wells.  That 
portion  of  the  field  which  has  been  left  in  the  rear,  has  only  been 
skimmed,  but  will  most  assuredly  be  once  again  opened  up,  and 
again  become  the  scene  of  fortunes  made  and  fortunes  lost. 

At  the  present  moment  there  are  in  this  lower  oil  field  no  less 


304  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

than  twenty-eight  flowing  wells,  producing  daily  the  enormous 
sum  total  of  8,833  barrels,  giving  an  average  production  to  each 
well,  of  31 5  barrels ! 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  FOURTH  SAND-ROCK. 

We  have  already  mentioned,  briefly,  the  discovery  of  a  FOURTH 
SAND,  or  oil  rock,  in  the  vicinity  of  Karns  City.  It  was  first 
found  by  Mr.  CHARLES  STEWART,  a  native  of  Butler  County.  He 
purchased  an  abandoned  well  on  the  Scott  farm,  near  Karns  City, 
and  after  a  month's  vain  effort  to  make  it  pay  as  a  pumping  well, 
resolved  to  sink  it  deeper.  He  began  this  labor  about  the  middle 
of  June  last,  and  after  nearly  eight  weeks'  drilling  in  daylight, 
struck  the  first  flowing  well  in  the  fourth  sand !  This  well  is 
known  as  the  Banks'  or  Stewart  well,  and  averages  four  hundred 
barrels  daily.  The  entire  oil  community,  including  the  shrewdest 
operators,  scouted  the  idea  of  this  being  the  "  fourth  sand,"  and 
claimed  that  the  well  had  not  originally  been  drilled  deep  enough. 
Messrs.  Tack  &  Morehead,  however,  on  the  adjoining  farm,  com- 
menced to  drill  one  of  their  abandoned  wells,  known  as  the  Mc- 
Cleer  No.  1,  about  four  weeks  ago,  and  struck  the  fourth  sand  on 
the  15th  September,  with  a  good  show  of  oil.  They  continued  to 
drill  until  the  18th  of  September,  when  the  well  commenced  flow- 
ing at  the  rate  of  700  barrels  per  day !  The  most  experienced 
operators  claim  that  the  fourth  sand  is  only  prolific  at  these  points, 
where  a  spur  branches  out  from  the  main  belt,  and  this  is  evidently 
the  spur  of  the  Modoc  belt.  This  theory  will  be  very  fully 
studied  within  the  next  sixty  or  ninety  days,  as  there  is  a  determi- 
nation on  the  part  of  everybody  owning  an  abandoned  or  non- 
paying  well  to  try  it. 

The  "  FOURTH  SAND,"  thus  far  developed,  is  from  65  to  75  feet 
below  the  "  third  sandy"  and  is  of  excellent  quality. 


STATISTICAL,  LNFOEMATIOK. 


305 


STATISTICAL  INFORMATION. 


PRODUCTION. 


The  following  shows  the  average  DAILY  product  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania oil  region  district  in  1867,  during  the  months  indicated. 
No  reliable  monthly  reports  were  published  prior  to  this  date : 


1867. 


September. 
October..., 


». . 9>6°o 

November 9,800 

December 10,400 


MONTHS. 

1868. 

1869. 

1870. 

1871. 

1872. 

January  bbls. 

8.700 

IO  IQ2 

1  2  634. 

TC  4.77 

1  6  286 

February  
March  

9,200 
8,621 

9»967 
9,80  I    • 

11,917 
12.38? 

14,391 
13  41:7 

17,012 
ic  co6 

April  ,  .... 

8,^37 

,<->y» 
1  1  ,067 

12,074. 

I3,3o8 

1  6  308 

8,700 

IO.I  S3 

14,161; 

13,087 

l8  341 

10,102 

11,334 

I4,8l7 

14,806 

17,740 

July  

10,603 

11,697 

l6,Q6q 

I7,26l 

18,151? 

August          ••  • 

II.oSl 

I2.IC7 

17,777 

18,161 

18  816 

September  
October  

",033 

10,133 

12,645 
I3,O7I 

19,489 
20,158 

17,648 
16068 

16,561 

14  3OQ 

November  
December  

10,276 
9,737 

13,317 

12,844 

18,012 

15,214 

16,651 
16,703 

23,275 
22,054 

The  total  production  in  1872  was  6,539,103  barrels  of  forty- 
three  gallons,  a  daily  average  for  the  year  of  17,925  barrels  against 
15,800  barrels  in  1871,  showing  a  daily  average  increase  in  1872 
of  2,115  barrels,  and  a  total  increase  of  671,975.  The  daily  ave- 
rage in  1870  was  15,350  barrels,  in  1869,  11,560  barrels,  and  in 
1868,  10,180  barrels.  The  average  in  1865  was  between  6,000 
and  7,000  barrels  daily. 
20 


HISTORY  OP  PETROLEUM. 

The  annexed  table  gives  the  production  of  Pennsylvania  oil  re- 
gion each  year  since  1859: 

BBLS. 

Production  in  1859 *  87,000 

"  1860 500,000 

"  1861 2,118,000 

"  "  1862.... 3,056,000 

"  1863 2,631,000 

"  1864 2,116,000 

"  1865 2,497,000 

"  1866 3,597,ooo 

"  J867 3,347,000 

*'  1868 3,715,000 

"  "  1869 4,215,000 

"  1870 5,659,000 

"        "  1871 5,795,ooo 

"        "  1872 6,539,000 

Total  bbls 45,840,000 

*  In  all  published  statements  of  the  product  of  Petroleum  for  1859,  this  is  the  amount  given.  It  is 
palpably  wrong.  Col.  Drake's  well  was  struck  in  August,  1859,  anc^  produced  not  more  than  ten  or 
twelve  barrels  per  day.  And  this  was  the  first  well  in  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region.  The  second  pro- 
ducing well  was  stiuck  in  February,  1860 — the  Barnsdall  well — fifty  barrels  per  day.  It  is  question- 
able, therefore,  if  the  entire  product  of  1859  would  reach  3,000  barrels. 


PRODUCT  OF  AMERICA  FOR   THE  YEARS  GIVEN. 

The  production  of  America  in  1872,  and  previous  years  compare 
as  below : 

BBLS. 

Total  product  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region  in  1872 6,539,000 

"          "  of  West  Virginia,  Ohio  and  Kentucky  Oil  Regions  in  1872  ..      325,000 
"          "  "  Canada  in  1872 530,000 

BBLS. 

Total  product  of  America  in  1872 7,394,000 

"  "  1871 6,638,000 

1870 6,535,000 

"  "  1869 4,917,000 

1868 3,965,000 

The  daily  average  product  in  America  in  1872  was  20,271  bar- 
rels against  18,100  barrels  in  1871,  and  17,900  barrels  in  1870. 

In  Canada  the  yield  is  estimated  at  530,000  barrels  for  the  year. 
At  one  time  there  was  a  production  there  of  more  than  2,000 
barrels  daily.  In  West  Virginia  and  Ohio  the  product  is  given  at 
325,000  barrels. 


STATISTICAL   INFORMATION. 


307 


AVERAGE   PRICES. 


The  following  were  the  average  monthly  prices  of  Crude  on  the 
Creek — of  barrels  of  43  gallons — and  of  Crude  and  Refined  per 
gallon  in  New  York  for  1872  and  1871  : 


MONTHS. 

CRUDE  —  IN  BULK. 

REFINED. 
STANDARD  WHITE. 
IN  BARRELS. 

NAPHTHA. 
IN   BARRELS. 

Highest  and 
Lowest. 

Average 
Price. 

Highest  and 
Lowest. 

Average 
Price. 

Highest  and 
Lowest. 

Average 
Price. 

Crude 
On  Creek. 

I2fg  &  13^ 

11%  ((fy  13 

13.11 
13.01 
13.06 

22         @  23 

21  %   (0),  22% 

23.29 

22.22 
22.58 

2         @I3 
I         ©  I2# 
0        @  II 
0         @  12 

12.44 
11.66 
10.28 
10.39 

$4-05 

3-55 
3-95 
4.10 

3-25 
4-25 
4-50 
3-62^ 

February  
March  

April  

May  
June  
July  

n/4  ©  I2^ 
13     @  14% 

i3#  @  Hl/2 
ii      @  13 

13-34 
12.92 
12.33 
11.88 
11.71 
13-74 
14.10 
12.08 

22%  ®  24 

22         @  23 
22l/%  (fl)  23^ 

23^  (a),  24l/2 
24%  (a),  26% 
26%  ©  27/^ 

23-52 
23.04 
22.37 
22.55 
24.17 
25-97 
27-15 
*26.OO 

2         (0),  l8 

6      @  18 
4%  ©  i6i 

17%  ©  20 
17%  @  19% 

15-25 
17-5° 
14-75 
14.86 
16.14 
18.94 
18.42 
17.07 

September  
October  

November  
December  

12.89 

14.81 

IO.OI 

3-75 
4.00 

"       1871  ... 

*  Nominally 

Monthly  average  of  prices  of  Crude  and  Refined,  at  New  York, 
for  the  years  1871,  1870,  1869,  1868,  1867,  1866  and  1865 : 


YEARS. 

CRUDE. 

REFINED. 
STANDARD. 
WHITE. 

NAPHTHA. 

BULK. 

BARRELS. 

BARRELS. 

BARRELS. 

l8?I 

14.04 

13-93 
18.25 
14.40 
12.17 

18.09 
18.45 
23.25 
19.66 

J7-43 
25.78 

38.37 

24.24 
26.35 

32.73 
29.52 
28.41 

42.45 
58.87 

IO.OI 

9.83 
10.33 
18.91 

23-75 
37-84 
5°-37 

1870         

1869... 

1868 

1867  

1866                         

1865  

THE    CONSUMPTION   OF   THE   WORLD. 

The  total  consumption  of  crude  in  1872  was  6,663,000  barrels, 
an  increase  over  the  previous  year's  consumption  of  662,000  bar- 
rels, or  eleven  per  cent.  The  rate  of  increase  in  consumption  in 
1871  over  1870,  was  over  two  anil  one-half  per  cent,  greater  than 
the  rate  of  increase  in  1872  over  1871.  Among  the  causes  that 
led  to  the  falling  off  in  the  rate  of  increase  in  1872,  was  the  in- 
creased manufacture  of  shale  oils,  and  the  prices  demanded  by  the 
refiners  of  Petroleum  in  America. 


308 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


The  following  table  shows  the  consumption  throughout  the  world 
in  1872 : 


Production,    1872,    bbls 
Stock  Jan.  I,  1872,  bbls 
Stock  Jan.  I,  1873,  bbls 
Deduct  increase  Jan.    I,  1873, 
Deduct  losses   by  fire,  &c.,  in  1873. 

Total  consumption  1872,  bbls.  crude. 
Consumption  in  1871,  bbls 

Increase  in  1872,  or   about  ten  and 
eight-tenths  per  cent 


3,269,000 
3,849,000 


580,000 
150,000 


7,394,000 


730,000 

6,664,000 
6,002,000 


662,000 


The  average  daily  consumption  in  1872,  was  nearly  18,500  bbls. 


PETROLEUM   TRADE    OF    PITTSBURGH. 

We  give  below  the  statistics  of  the  petroleum  trade  of  Pittsburgh 
for  the  last  fourteen  years.  The  figures  do  not  include  lubricating 
oils,  the  quantitv  and  value  of  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  as- 
certain. 

The  following  are  the  receipts  of  crude  oil  from  1859  to  1872, 
inclusive : 

BBLS.  BBLS. 

l866 1,253,326 

1867 727,494 

1868 1,061,227 

1869 1,028,902 

1870 1,050,810 

1871 1,149,493 

1872 I,l86,50I 


1859 

i860 I7,l6l 

1861 94,102 

1862 171,774 

1863 175, 181 

1864 208,744 

1865 630,246 


Total  barrels 8,746,756 


RECEIPTS  AT  PHILADELPHIA  FROM  1865  TO  1872. 
The  following  are  the  receipts  of  Petroleum  by  railroad,  at  Phi- 
ladelphia, for  the  past  seven  years  : 

BBLS. 

1872 1,165,613 

1871 1,329,250 

1870 1,476,564 

1869 7. .". i,049,5l6 

1868 1,064,702 

1867 970,798 

1866 -, 743,504 

1865 640,019 


STATISTICAL,  INFORMATION.  309 


EXPORTS   OF   REFINED   OIL    FOR   PAST  EIGHT   YEARS. 


BBLS. 


1865 298,111 

1866 424,848 

1867 498,226 

1868 724,991 


BBLS. 


1869 59M75 

1870 811,158 

1871 733,943 

1872 743>6l° 


THE    PETROLEUM    TRADE. 

PRODUCTION,  CONSUMPTION,  AND  EXPORT  FOR  1871  AND  1872.    VALUES,  DECREASES,  &C. 

The  following  interesting  and  reliable  statistics  we  gather  from 
"  The  Trade  and  Commerce  Keports  "  of  1871  and  1872  : 

1872.  1871. 

Barrels.  Barrels. 

The  total  production  of  Pennsylvania  oil  region  equaled...     6,839,103  55795,ooo 

West  Virginia,  Ohio,  and  Kentucky.    ...  325,000  401,000 

Canada 530,000  442,000 


7,694,103         6,638,000 
DAILY  AVERAGE  PRODUCTION: 

Pennsylvania 17,917  15,800 

Daily  average  of  America 20,271  18,100 

Exports  from  the  United  States  of  Crude  and  refined 150,  385,869     155,674,74! 

Some  4,688,922  gallons  less  than  preceding  year. 

1872.  1871. 

Consumption  of  the  world  equaled 6,644,000         6,002,000 

An  increase  of  about  108.10  per  cent.     The   daily  consumption   estimated  at 
18,500  barrels  against  18,000  barrels  in  1871. 

Stock  in  America  January  i,  1873,  2,316,000  barrels,  against  1,600,000  in  1872. 

World's  stock  January  I,   1873,  3,849,000  barrels.     Stock  of  the  world  has 
more  than  doubled  in  three  years. 

The  value  of  production  of  Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and 
Canada  equals  $28,516,250,  against  $30,570,500  in  1871. 

1871.  1872. 

Value  of  the  world's  consumption $27,009,000  $24,990,000 

Value  of  daily  consumption 73,8oo  69,395 

Value  of  world's  stock,  December  31 14,710,500  14,433,730 

Value  of  United  States  stock,  Dec.  31 7,155,000  6,903,550 

Value  of  exports  of  crude,  refined,  and  Naphtha....  $38,077,501  24  $33,174,182  52 
World's  value  amount  on  hand  Jan.   i,  1872,  and 

consumed  in   1871 $41,719,50000 

On  hand  Jan.  I,  1873,  an^  consumed  in  1872 30,423,75000 

Decrease  in  value  of  refined  exports 5,294,978  23 

"                   crude 113,22589 

"                  naphtha 278,43362 


310  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

Crude  oil  and  naphtha  show  a  gain  in  exports  of  $391,659,51,  and 
refined,  which  should  have  been  the  greater,  fell  off  $4,903,318.72. 

DECREASE  IN  VALUE  OF  PRODUCTION,  CONSUMPTION,  STOCK  AND  EXPORTS  : 

Increase  in  value  of  production $2,054,250  oo 

"                   «         World's  consumption 2,019,00000 

"                   '         Daily  consumption 4,^5  °° 

"                  <         World's  stock 276,75000 

"                  <         United  States 251,45000 

"                  '         Exports 4,903,31872 

Value  of  world  s  consumption  during  the  year,  and  stock  in  hand 

Jan.  I,  1871 41,719,50000 

Do.  1872 39,423,75000 


Decrease  in  value .., $2,295,750  oo 

VALUE  OF  EXPORTS  FROM  THE  UNITED  STATES  DURING  THE  YEAR  AND 
STOCK  ON  HAND  : 

Jan.  i,  1871.          Jan.  I,  1872. 

Value  of  exports 38,077,501  24        33,174,182  52 

stock 7,155,000  oo  6,903,550  oo 


Total $45,232,501  24       $40,077,732  52 

Decrease  of  exports  and  stock  1872  under  1871...  5,154,768  72 

The  production,  consumption,  and  stock  in  hand  were  greater 
than  the  preceding  year,  but  the  value  was  less.  The  exports  of 
crude  and  naphtha  -were  increased ;  but  the  refined  oil  decreased  in 
commercial  value,  and  shows  a  large  falling  off. 

The  falling  off  in  most  cases  occurred  among  the  largest  con- 
sumers of  American  petroleum  in  Europe  heretofore. 

The  facts  show  that  refined  oils  sent  upon  the  markets  of  the 
world  of  late  years  have  been  of  poor  quality  and  dangerous,  and 
the  public  have  been  seeking  other  illuminators,  and  putting  up 
with  some  inconvenience  to  be  safe.  This  has  stimulated  the  ma- 
nufacture of  coal  oil,  from  the  cheap  and  almost  exhaustless  shales 
of  Wales  and  Scotland,  and  the  increase  has  been  unparalleled  in 
the  last  few  years';  all  the  abandoned  works  of  1865, have  been  re- 
built, with  new  improvements  and  new  machinery. 

The  future  consumption  must  govern  the  demand  of  this  article 
as  in  all  commercial  products,  and  must  meet  the  wants  of  con- 
sumers both  in  quality  and  price.  This,  we  are  glad  to  know, 
will  be  the  results  of  the  petroleum  trade  in  the  future.  Several 
of  our  State  Legislatures,  Pennsylvania  among  the  number,  have 
enacted  laws  requiring  a  manufactured  article  of  refined  oil  at  suph 
fire  test  as  to  render  it  absolutely  non-explosive. 


STATISTICAL   INFOKMATION. 


311 


EXPORTS  FROM  THE  PORT  OF  NEW  YORK  FROM  1868  TO  1872. 


GALLONS. 
1872. 

GALLONS. 
1871. 

GALLONS. 
1870. 

GALLONS. 
1869. 

GALLONS. 

1868. 

1,388,419 
1,372,263 

1,866,538 
1,457,628 

I,836,675 
2,047,118 

877,667 
872,118 

1,291,200 

947,3" 

Glasgow    &c  

Bristol     -  

556,261 
65,814 
1,021,079 

414,322 
392,919 

248,132 
83,"9 
551,649 

410,605 

184,070 

JJUH                         

Falmouth,  E.,  &c  

367,233 

92,210 

Cork   &c                        

3,141,436 

5,328,811 

4,689,283 

2,648,865 

2,272,534 

Havre  -  

4,139,619 
1,399,830 

2,832,134 

2,549,793 

1,417,851 
2,508,468 
309,522 
108,743 
288,231 

455,677 
118,772 

4,275,096 
2,410,308 

2,925,413 
3,269,600 
149,450 

Cette                               

226,300 
850,886 
852,292 
229,828 

Dunkirk 

762,369 
557,639 

831,398 
428,306 
346,650 

369,501 
184,600 
78,539 

Nantes  and  Rouen  

6,489,132 
11,822,83! 
678,914 
5,776,354 
1,897,546 
783,702 

3,433,9°S 
397,799 
5,644,478 
143,864 
294,229 
873,889 
3,858,708 

4,747,i67 
12,356,572 

9,977,114 
10,162,399 

8,202,931 
11,374,282 

7,052,177 
8,578,026 

Tj                         " 

5,866,532 
6,987,302 

4,456,226 
5,305,299 

4,333,982 
2,115,838 

2,458,557 
ifySPZS 

T>  aff.     *J 

Stockholm  &  Gottenberg  

5,997,362 
216,047 
5,650,978 

7,227,273 
216,942 
2,645,677 

4,163,320 

I,523,387 
150,028 
2,537,o86 

4,594,363 

Lubec   &c          

186,260 
1,177,776 
2,967,345 
73,32i 
169,023 
985,25o 
472,201 
608,487 
50,760 
786,685 
7,397,^6 
71,690 
870,113 
3,i59,M2 
2,601,290 
1,463,882 
411,660 
140,729 
187,365 
1,492,905 
2,233,671 
592,9!  5 
457,29° 

97,242 
767,999 
894,422 
121,540 
189,148 
287,500 
6lO,IIO 
1,101,049 
135,500 
571,462 
7,982,173 

210,759 
379>912 
2,515,926 
2,816,655 
1,045,376 
228,394 
451,582 
18,234 
1,508,240 
2,136,551 
935,207 
451,610 

138,570 
810,596 
341,572 

374,671 
118,492 

Copenhagen,  Elsinore,  &c  

100,230 
490,520 

Syria    &c          .•  

168,220 



Venice 

1,068,555 
35,000 

.774,723 
8,023,509 

74,590 
520,945 
1,425,261 
2,131,130 
1,684,482 
9",532 
310,302 
61,230 
738,218 
1,385,671 
1,138,408 

1,353,03° 
200,000 
169,990 
1,318,328 

436,058 
66,038 
530,029 

2,774,547 
362,708 
1,064,943 
1,774,223 
1,4*3,743 
748,494 

380,581 
518,260 
470,929 
4,289,017 
251,704 
1,032,209 
2,229,928 
900,161 
398,873 
223,000 
43,*94 
16,461 
603,012 
417,210 
199,163 
120,300 

Tarragona  and  Alicante  

Gibraltar  and  Malta            

Trieste        

Al  ^      ii  '      F 

L^bon    r  a' 

194,812 
16,353 
602,180 
1,498,682 
330,221 
207,180 

P              T  1      c\ 

Bilboa,  Seville  and  Vigo  
Palma   Spain   &c  

China  and  East  Indies  

Africa                 

169,980 
1,794,993 

99,272 
1,633,663 

30,200 
619,649 
43,680 
139,280 
835,299 
169,541 
1,144,378 

101,000 

109,120 

193,990 
142,780 
9,027 

36,106 

24,560 

959,959 
37,5oo 
224,526 
804,390 
155,576 
988,955 
169,200 
91,000 
168,000 
233,956 

4,220 
40,700 

Sydne'y,  N.  S.  W  
Brazil  

433,6i4 
2,713,409 
382,542 
1,850,051 
828,573 

529,779 
270,750 

233,490 
12,462 
50,897 

337,28o 
1,036,943 
559>8o9 
1,534,751 
374,950 
534,o5o 
266,160 
181,629 
8,072 
37,i5o 
11,322 
489,227 
34,930 
10,596 
277,517 
19,823 
88,701 

40,399 
17,916 
76,620 
98,509 
93,346 

231,080 
1,364,294 
243,022 
1,566,547 
396,403 
4i7,58o 
174,884 
305,673 
5,049 
79,543 
8,235 
586,492 
38,598 
10,058 

Cuba  

Cisalpine  Republic  
Chili   .  

peru                        

British  Honduras  

397,693 
69,969 
27,121 

298,997 

54,221 

16,473 

236,805 
47,215 
12,255 

Br  N  Am   Colonies  

Dutch  West  Indies  

48,061 
14,600 
19,377 
15,465 
132,764 
110,478 
103,379 

30,267 
86,600 
»ftj654 
8,«7? 
<5&,z5i 
78,186 
46,934 
3,000 

40,698 
73,138 

xfi,678 
1,858 
77,266 
60,312 
36,492 

17,463 

78?$ 

2,848 

57,9" 
64,219 
34,228 

French  West  Indies     ». 

Hayti  

Porto  Rico  

Total  

90,027,726 

94,955,850 

87,667,299 

65,933,690 

52,803,20*: 

312 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


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H 

STATISTICAL  INFORMATION.  313f 


EXPORT  FOE  1873, 

The  figures  upon  the  opposite  page  fairly  represent  the  rapid 
increase  in  the  consumption  of  the  article  abroad.  It  will  be  noted 
that  the  export  of  1872  was  more  than  double  that  of  1867. 

The  following  table  of  the  quantity  shipped  from  leading  ports, 
from  January  1  to  June  1,  1873,  will  show  how  greatly  the  foreign 
demand  has  augmented  within  a  few  months.  The  table  is  com- 
piled from  the  issue  of  the  New  York  Commercial  and  Shipping 
List,  reliable  authority  on  all  matters  pertaining  to  shipments 
or  imports  to  or  from  the  United  States.  The  exhibit  is  as  follows  : 


FROM  JANUARY   1st   TO  JUNE    1st,    1873. 

GALLONS. 

From  New  York. 46,224,596 

"     Boston 987,368 

"      Philadelphia 22,437,417 

"      Baltimore 1,221,438 

Total  exports  from  United  States 70,870,819 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  exports  from  New  York  alone  ag- 
gregated nearly  three  million  gallons  during  the  first  three  days  of 
June,  an  increase  of  over  twenty-seven  million  gallons  since  the 
first  of  January  as  compared  with  the  same  months  of  1872.  The 
coal  famine  in  England  is  rapidly  undermining  the  prejudices  ex- 
isting against  kerosene  as  an  illuminator,  and  the  petroleum  trade 
with  that  country  is  fast  acquiring  vast  proportions  as  the  result. 
Thus  Liverpool  imported  255,708  gallons  last  year,  up  to  the  first 
of  June,  against  1,150,877  this  season;  London,  353,433,  against 
1,741,551 ;  Bristol,  136,534,  against  781,852;  and  other  ports  in 
like  proportion.  The  exports  to  Ireland  have  more  than  doubled  ; 
those  to  France  quadrupled,  and  the  demand  from  Germany  and 
Belgium  and  other  European  countries  is  enormously  increased. 

These  facts  and  figures  are  at  once  interesting  and  suggestive, 
indicating,  as  they  do,  in  unmistakable  terms,  an  enhanced  value 
of  petroleum  at  no  distant  date.  With  so  great  an  enlargement  of 
the  foreign  demand,  a  production  certainly  no  greater  than  the 
markets  of  the  world  require,  the  chances  of  its  application  in  im- 


314 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


mense  quantities  to  new  purposes,  and  the  continuous  increase  of 
home  consumption,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  oil  will  not  advance  in 
price  till  it  reaches  a  figure  at  which  the  average  operator  will  be 
able  to  carry  on  his  business,  if  not  at  a  large  profit,  at  least  without 
positive  loss,  as  has  been  the  case  in  too  many  instances  during  the 
depression  of  the  last  few  months. 


NUMBER  OF  WELLS  DRILLING   AT  VARIOUS   DATES. 

No  reports  have  been  made  up  since  December,  1872,  upon  this 
subject,  and  we  are  left  to  conjecture  as  to  the  number  of  wells 
drilled  from  January  1st,  1873,  to  July  1st,  1873.  A  fair  estimate 
would  be  about  225  to  25*0  during  the  first  six  months  of  1873. 


MONTHS. 

1872 

1871 

1870 

1869 

1868 

1867 

January 

304. 

167 

364. 

378 

182 

February 

360 

173 

388 

34.1 

JCQ 

March  .      .  . 

•31"? 

I  ^Q 

•2QC 

334. 

I  60 

April  

3O2 

231 

A-}-) 

2Q2 

IQ3 

May  

&** 

<?-?6 

24.7 

4.12 

312 

217 

Tune  

3QI 

306 

463 

31-* 

34  "? 

2C7 

July  ... 

?Cq 

386 

340 

3O  C 

2OQ 

August 

-2Q2 

•5  C-3 

3IQ 

3IO 

327 

September        . 

07  •* 

-7QI 

364. 

3O6 

Oiw/ 
31^ 

331 

October        .     . 

4.26 

•2(X 

J*J 
331 

Jo*- 
37O 

November  

•3C4 

d.8l 

•*  5 

206 

360 

4.-JC 

2CC 

December  

OJT- 

318 

490 

191 

J"U 

346 

4OI 

232 

STATISTICS   OF   REFINING. 


315 


STATISTICS  OF  REFINING. 


REFINING     CAPACITY    OF     THE     UNITED     STATES. 


Statement  showing  the  Refineries  in  the    Oil  Region  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  their  respective  daily  Still  Capacity,  for  Crude : 


NAME. 

LOCATION. 

DAILY    CAPACITY. 
BBLS.  OF  43  GALS. 

Porter,  Moreland  &  Co., 

Titusville,         .     .     . 

1,213 

Bennett,  Warner  &  Co., 

« 

'856 

Octave  Refining  Co.,     . 

(t 

606 

Pickering,  Chambers  &  Co. 

« 

512 

Easterly  &  Davis,     .     . 

tt 

496 

R.  M.  &  J.  W.  Jackson, 

<( 

288 

M.  N.  Allen,  .... 

(( 

251 

Decker  &  Co.,      .     .     . 

<t 

190 

A.  H.  Lee,      .... 

<( 

185 

J.  A.  Scott,      .... 

<( 

139 

Cadam  &  Donohue,  .     . 

<( 

68 

John  Johnson  &  Co.,     . 

Miller   Farm,  .     .     . 

308 

Du^lev  &  Co.,      .     .     . 

t( 

250 

A.  RoWilliams,  .     .     . 

(( 

243 

Z.  Chandler,    .... 

Gregg  Switch,  .     .     . 

187 

H.  De  Zebala,      .    -     . 

Pioneer,            .     .     . 

127 

Patterson  Refinery,  .     . 

Petroleum  Centre, 

292 

Hermann,  Cornell  &  Co., 

a 

198 

Bartlett  &  Newton,  .     . 

te 

47 

Doe  &  Frazer, 

Rousville.         .     . 

117 

Producers  Oil  Works,    . 

d 

100 

Levi  Kerr,       .... 

Tarr  Farm,       .     .     . 

227 

Imperial  Refining  Co.,  . 

Oil  City,    '       ... 

1,385 

Standard  Oil  Co.,      .     . 

ft 

418 

Economy  Refining  Co., 

ft 

321 

Solar  Oil  Works,  .     .     . 

Oleopolis,         .     .     . 

171 

L.  D.  Galligan,    .     .     . 

Tidioute,           .     .     . 

36 

Total  daily  still  capacity, 

9,231 

316 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

KEFINING  CAPACITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Statement  showing  the  daily  refining  capacity  for  the  city  of  New 
York  and  vicinity.     Furnished  by  Peter  Schmid  : 


WORKS  AND    LOCATION. 


Kings  Co.  Oil  Works, 
Newtown  Creek, 
Green  Point,  L.  I., 

Pratt's  Oil  Works, 

Brooklyn,  E.  D 

Empire  Oil  Works, 

Hunter's  Point, 
East  River, 

L.  I.  City, 

Queens  Co  Oil  Works, 
Newtown   Creek, 

Long  Island  City, 
Franklin  Oil  Works, 
Newtown  Creek, 
Brooklyn,  E.  D., 

Olophine  Oil  Co., 

Greenpoint,  L.  I 

Brooklyn  Oil  Works, 

Greenpoint, 

Brooklyn,  ED 

Central  Oil  Works, 

66th  St.,  N.  Eiver 

Hudson  Eiver  Oil  Works, 

Bull's  Ferry,  N.  J... 
Locust  Hill  Oil  Works, 

Newtown  Creek, 
Long  Island  City 

Union  Oil  Works, 

Brooklyn,  E.  D 

Washington  Oil  Works, 

Newtown  Creek, 
Brooklyn,  E.  D.... 

Wallabout  Oil  Works, 

Brooklyn,  E.  D 

Vesta  Oil  Works, 

Gowanus  Creek, 

Brooklyn, 


Peerless  Works, 

Brooklyn,  S.  D., 

Foot  of  25th  St 

Long  Island  Oil  Works, 

Long  Island  City.... 


OWNED   OR  RUN  BY. 


Sloan  &  Fleming, 

159  Front  St.,  N.  Y... 
Chas.  Pratt  &  Co., 

108  Fulton  St.,  N.  Y. 


R.  W.  Burke, 

181  Pearl  St., 
New  York.. 


Olophine  Oil  Co., 

322  Broadway,  N.  Y 

Wm.  A.  Byers, 

181  Pearl  St.,  N.  Y 

Lombard,  Ayres  &  Co. 

58  Pine  St.,  N.  Y 

I.  H.  Wickes, 

120  Maiden  Lane,  N.Y... 

I.  Donald  &  Co., 

124  Maiden  Lane,  N.Y. . . 
T.  Meyer, 

126  Maiden  Lane, N.Y... 

Thomas  McGoey, 

143  Maiden  Lane,  N.Y... 
S.  Jenney  &  Son, 
Kent  Av.,  foot  of  Rush  St., 

Brooklyn,  E.  D 

W.  &  G.  F.  Gregory, 

125  Maiden  Lane, 

New  York 

Greo.  Sommer  I., 
Jersey  City, 
Cor.  Warren  &  1st  St... 
Denslow  &  Bush, 
128  Maiden  Lane, 

New  York 

Long  Island  Oil  Co , 

140  Pearl  St.,  N.  Y 

Total  daily  Capacity  Bbls 


DAILY  CAPACITY. 
BBLS.  OF  43  GALLS. 


1,700 
1,500 


1,500 


1,000 

600 
600 

400 

140 
105 

215 
280 
200 
175 

175 

1,200 
9,790 


STATISTICS  OF   REFINING, 


317 


EEFINING  CAPACITY  OF  CLEVELAND. 


Statement  showing  the  Refining  Capacity  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and 
vicinity : 


NAME    OF    OWNER. 

LOCATION. 

NUMBER  BBLS.  CRUDE. 
DAILY      CAPACITY. 

Standard  Oil  Company,  .  . 
Hanna,  Chapin  &  Co.,  .  .  . 

..  Cleveland,  .. 

a 

10,000   Estimated.* 
732,  40  Gall,  to  Bbl 

Scofield,  Squire  &  Teagle, 
Bishop  &  Heisel,  

tt 
« 

675,  42     "        " 
300,    "     "        " 

W.  H.  Doan,  

t( 

^\jy 

825,    "     "        " 

Corrigan  &  Co.,  

<t 

^y 
200,    "     "        « 

*  The  Standard  Oil  Company  has  a  Capacity,  it  is  said,  of  over  10,000  barrels  per  day.  We 
estimate  it,  therefore,  at  this  amount.  The  balance  of  the  statement  .is  given  by  the  parties 
named,  and  may  be  relied  upon. 


318 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


REFINING  CAPACITY  OF  PITTSBURGH. 


Statement  showing  the  daily  refining  capacity  in  Pittsburgh  and 


vicinity : 


NAME   OF   REFINERY. 

OWNERS. 

CAPACITY   PER   DAT. 

Central,*     

Central  Refining  Co., 

1  165 

Penn,     ...... 

H.  S.  A.  Stewart, 
Standard  Oil  Co., 

130 
650 

Iron  City,  
Vesta,    

H.  S.  A.  Stewart, 
R.  S.  Waring,  .     .     . 

75 
335 

Nat'l.  Ref.  &  Storing  Co., 
Keystone,    

Nat'l.  Ref.  &  Storing  Co., 
P.  W^isenberger,  . 

330 
65 

Petrol  ite,     

Wormsen,  Myers  &  Co., 

130 

Braun  &  Wagner, 

260 

Lily,  . 

Brooks,  Ballantine  &  Co. 

100 

Citizens'  Co.,    .... 
Riverside,  

Citizens'  Oil  Co.,  .     . 
Elkins,  Bly  &  Co.,     . 

400 
110 

Fairview,    

Alonold  Hertz, 

110 

L.  Irwin  &  Co  ,    . 

330 

Crystal, 

Livingston  Bros.,  . 

200 

Brilliant,     .     .     .     •     • 

Lochart,  Frew  &  Co., 

670 

Model,   ...... 

Model  Refining  Co.,  . 

260 

Liberty,      
Star,       .     .     .     .     .     . 

J.  A.  McKee  &  Sons, 
Ralston  &  Wiring,    • 

200 
130 

Empire, 

D.  P.  Reighard,    .     . 

60 

Nonpareil,  

Warden  &  Oxenerd,  . 

80 

Hutchison,  

Hutchison  Oil  Ref.  Co., 

200 

. 

6,090 

*  These  works  are  in  course  of  completion,  and  will  have  a  capacity  as  stated.    This  company 
has  absorbed  eight  refineries  or  firms. 


STATISTICS  OF   REFINING.  319 

REFINING  CAPACITY  OF  PHILADELPHIA. 


Statement  showing  the  Refineries  in  Philadelphia  and  vicinity,  with 
their  respective  daily  Still  Capacity : 


NAME   OF   WORKS   AND 
LOCATION. 

OWNED   OR   RUN    BY. 

DAILY   CAPACITY. 
BBL8.  OF  43   GALS. 

Atlantic,                             ") 
Point  Breeze    .     .      j 
Point  Breeze,                       1 
Point  Breeze     .     .      J 
Franklin, 
Gibson  Point   .     .     . 
Phoenix, 
Gibson  Point   . 

Warden,  Frew  &  Co.,  . 
Stewart,  Matthews  &  Co  , 
J.  L.  Stewart,     .    .    . 
M.  Lloyd  .         ... 

665 
266 
200 
133 

Harkness, 
Gibson  Point   .     .     . 
Monumental,                        ") 
Hestonville      .     .     .  \ 
Belmont,                              1 
Hestonville      .     .     .  } 
Reliance, 
Hestonville      .     .     . 
Excelsior, 
Hestonville 

N.W.  Harkness,      .     . 
Taber,  Harbut  &  Co.,  . 
W.  L.  Elkins,     .     .     . 
W.  D.  Heston,    .     .     . 

W.  King    . 

100 
100 
165 
100 
100 

Greenwich  Refinery, 
Greenwich  .     .     . 
Stephen  Carr, 
City   . 

Greenwich  Oil  Co.,  .     . 
Stephen  Carr 

100 
66 

Victoria, 
City   

Carson  &  Conlin,     .     . 

66 

2,061 

REFINING  CAPACITY  OF  BALTIMORE,  MD. 


Statement  showing  the  Refineries  of  Baltimore,  Md.  with  their 
respective  daily  Still  Capacity: 


NAME   OF   OWNERS. 

NAME   OF    REFINERY. 

DAILY  CAPACITY. 
BBLS.  OF  43  GALS. 

Merritt,  Jones  &  Co.,  .     . 
Sylvia  C  Hunt,      .     .     . 
Robert  Read,      .... 
Brown    Hamill  &  Co*      • 

Janton,       
Monumental,  .... 
Baltimore,      .... 

650 

90 
30 
35 

C  West  &  Sons      .     .     . 

133 

Newbold  &  Son      .     •     • 

Belvidere,  

60 

Carswell  &  Son,      .     .     . 
Christopher  &  Co.,  .     .     . 

Rising  Sun,     .... 
Patapsco,   

40 
60 

1,098 

320 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


REFINING  CAPACITY  OF  ERIE,  PA. 


Statement  showing  the  Refineries  of  Erie,  Pa.,  with  their  respective 
daily  Still  Capacity.     Furnished  by  M.  B.  Parsons : 


NAME    OF    OWNERS. 

LOCATION. 

DAILY  CAPACITY. 
BBLS.  OF  43  GALS. 

Ira  G.  Hatch,    .     . 
Brown  Bros.,       .     . 
O.  C.  Thayer  &  Co., 
Wallace  &  Vaughn, 
M.  V.  Dawson,  .     . 
I.  W.  Watkins, 

Near  Phila.  & 
on  10th  S 
Sixth  Street, 
Mill  Creek, 
Mill  Creek, 
Mill  Creek, 
Mill  Creek, 

E 

t, 

rie 

R.R. 

305 
430 
155 
'   160 
98 
20 

1,168 

BOSTON,  MASS. 

The  Refining  Capacity  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and  vicinity,  is  esti- 
mated at  3,500  barrels  per  day.  We  have  been  unable  to  obtain 
the  names  of  fhe  Refineries  or  their  proprietors,  although  making 
every  effort  to  do  so. 


BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 

THE  STAR  OIL  WORKS,  owned  and  operated  by  Thayer  &  Rid- 
dell,  No.  385  Hamburg  St.,  Buffalo,  has  a  Still  Capacity  of  nearly 
two  hundred  barrels  per  day. 

Dudley  &  Co.,  Buffalo,  have  a  refining  Still  Capacity  of  251 
barrels  per  day.  A  portion  of  this  labor  is  done  at  Miller  Farm, 
on  Oil  Creek,  before  it  is  shipped  to  them  at  Buffalo. 


STATISTICS  OP  REFINING.  321 


PORTLAND,  ME. 

PORTLAND    OIL   WORKS. 

Portland  has  one  refinery,  originally  built  and  used  for  the 
manufacture  of  Coal  Oil,  with  a  capacity  for  working  ten  thousand 
tons  of  coal  annually.  It  was  one  of  the  best  and  most  perfect  Coal 
Oil  works  in  the  United  States,  and  was  among  the  most  extensive. 
It  was  the  last  to  give  up  the  manufacture  of  Coal  Oil. 

The  Still  Capacity  of  these  works  is  350  barrels  Crude  daily. 

WM.  ATWOOD,  Sup't. 


JAMESTOWN,  N.  Y. 

MARVIN   &   CO.  OIL  WORKS. 

This  is  a  small  refining  locality,  the  works  being  owned  by 
Messrs.  Marvin  &  Co.  Their  Still  Capacity  is  about  50  barrels 
per  day. 


BINGHAMTON,  N.  Y. 

Binghamton  has  a  small  refinery,  the  Capacity  of  which  we  have 
been  unable  to  obtain.  It  is  said  to  be  not  more  than  fifty  barrels 
per  day. 

21 


THE  ORIGINAL  "DRAKE  WELL." 

This  was  the  first  Artesian  well  drilled  in  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region.  It  was  located  upon  the  Watson 
Flats,  below  Titusville.  and  was  09  feet  f>  inches  in  depth— struck  August  2Sth,  1859— and  produced  twelve  barrels 
nf  Oil  per  day. 


SKETCHES. 


PIONEER  AND  PROMINENT  OPERATORS. 


COL.  E.  L.  DRAKE. 


THE  subject  of  this  memoir,  whose  useful  life  will  leave  the 
mark  of  its  individuality  upon  the  events  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, was  born  on  the  29th  of  March,  1819,  at  Greenville,  Green 
County,  New  York.  His  parents  were  poor,  but  respectable  and 
intelligent  people,  and  earned  their  living  by  farming.  EDWIN  L. 
was  the  eldest  of  two  sons — their  only  children.  The  brother  died 
in  the  far  West  about  the  time  Mr.  DRAKE'S  name  was  heralded  to 
the  world  in  connection  with  the  first  oil  well.  When  the  oldest 
of  their  sons  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  the  parents  removed  to 
the  vicinity  of  Castleton,  Vermont,  where  they  gave  their  children 
the  benefit  of  the  old-time,  New  England  common-school  educa- 
tion— no  mean  advantage. 

Passing  an  uneventful  childhood,  there  was,  perhaps,  but  a  single 
incident  so  indicative  of  his  future  useful  career  as  to  leave  any  im- 
pression on  his  own  mind,  or  to  be  worthy  of  remark  in  a  sketch 
of  his  life, — and  that  incident  was  a  dream.  It  is,  of  course,  only 
singular  in  so  far  that  with  the  superstitious,  it  is  capable  of  pro- 
phetic interpretation ;  but  one  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  had  any 
childhood  who  has  not  had  strange  dreams.  It  was  a  day-dream — 
not  a  waking  dream,  however.  He  sat  upon  the  wide  old  porch 

323 


324  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

that  shaded  the  entrance  to  their  plain  abode.  The  autumn  sun 
shone  down  upon  his  head ;  and  the  autumn  breezes,  heavy  with 
the  fragrance  of  the  fields,  lulled  him  to  sleep,  and  sleeping  he 
dreamt.  With  his  brother — in  fancy — he  raked  the  dry  stubbles 
of  the  wheat  field.  Together  they  tugged  and  toiled,  and  after 
infinite  labor  they  had  raked  a  great  stack  of  straw  into  a  corner, 
nearly  half  a  mile  from  the  house.  Then  for  a  bon-fire  !  While 
his  smaller  brother  watched  with  gleeful  anticipation,  EDWIN 
touched  a  match  to  the  pile.  They  watched  it  a  moment  in  ec- 
stacies — but  their  mirth  was  turned  to  horror  when,  their  stack 
consumed,  the  ground  continued  to  blaze  and  burn  !  They  exerted 
all  their  strength  to  quench  it,  but  in  vain.  The  devouring  flames 
rose  higher  and  higher.  The  fire  burned  deeper  and  wider.  It 
followed  their  receding  footsteps ;  and  now,  completely  terrified, 
they  turned  and  fled  to  their  mother.  When  they  reached  the 
house,  EDWIN,  breathless  and  guilty,  buried  his  face  in  her  lap  and 
confessed  the  deed.  She  led  him  gently  to  the  door,  and  after 
watching  the  flames  a  moment,  she  said  calmly,  and  without  re- 
proach :  "  My  son,  you  have  set  the  world  on  fire !" 

Nearly  thirty  years  later  these  words  of  his  mother  were  recalled 
by  the  burning  of  his  oil  tanks  a  few  weeks  after  the  first  well  be- 
gan to  produce.  When  the  tanks  burst,  and  the  creeping  flames 
spread  over  the  surface  of  the  creek,  he  may  possibly  have  enter- 
tained a  momentary  suspicion  that  his  mother's  words  were  about 
to  be  fulfilled.  The  incident  recalled  the  dream. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  left  home  to  seek  his  fortune — which 
meant  to  go  West.  Like  the  majority  of  emigrants  in  that  lati- 
tude, his  ultimate  destination  was  Michigan,  where  he  had  an  uncle 
living.  At  Buffalo,  however,  he  obtained  a  situation  as  night 
clerk  on  the  steamer  Wisconsin,  plying  between  that  port  and  De- 
troit, where  he  remained  until  the  season  closed,  when  he  went  to 
his  uncle's,  near  Ann  Arbor,  and  worked  on  a  farm  for  about 
a  year. 

He  then  procured  a  situation  as  a  clerk  in  a  hotel  at  Tecumseh. 


COL.   E.   L.   DRAKE.  325 

This  was  a  type  of  the  western  hotel  of  the  day,  and  around  the 
hospitable  log  fire  upon  the  broad  hearth,  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
DRAKE  caught  that  droll  and  happy  faculty  of  story-telling  which 
has  ever  since  been  among  the  genial  characteristics  of  his  manner. 
In  this  situation  he  remained  two  years,  acquiring  something  of 
that  western  "push"  which  was  not  developed  until  brought  out 
by  the  difficulties  which  beset  his  labors  years  later  on  Oil  Creek. 

After  leaving  Tecumseh  he  returned  to  visit  his  parents  in  Ver- 
mont, and  was  persuaded  to  remain  in  the  East. 

He  next  went  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  where  he  served  three 
years  as  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store.  They  were  three  uneventful 
years,  and  in  the  hope  of  bettering  his  prospects  he  gave  up  his 
situation,  and  obtained  a  position  in  one  of  the  retail  dry-goods 
stores  on  Broadway,  New  York.  While  here  he  married  a  young 
woman,  whose  home  was  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  soon  afterwards 
falling  into  a  lingering  sickness,  it  became  advisable  to  seek  country- 
air,  and  they  went  to  Springfield.  While  there  Mr.  DRAKE  was 
offered  the  position  of  Express  Agent  on  the  Boston  and  Albany 
Railroad,  at  a  salary  of  fifty  dollars  a  month,  which  he  accepted, 
and  held  the  position  till  1849,  when  he  resigned  it  to  accept  the 
office  of  Conductor  on  the  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad, 
then  just  opened,  which  he  held  nearly  ten  years,  with  entire  satis- 
faction to  the  superior  officers  of  that  corporation,  and  only  resigned 
it  to  take  charge  of  the  developments  on  Oil  Creek  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, as  described  in  the  opening  chapters  of  this  work. 

The  position  he  held  on  the  railroad  gave  him  the  opportunity 
of  forming  an  extensive  acquaintance,  which  his  inclinations 
prompted  him  to  improve.  In  1854  his  wife  died,  leaving  him 
one  child,  two  others  having  already  died ;  and  he  broke  up  the 
comfortable  little  home  he  had  provided  in  New  Haven,  and  went 
to  boarding. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Jas.  M. 
Townsend,  a  banker  in  New  Haven,  into  whose  society  he  was 
thrown  at  the  Tontine  Hotel,  where,  at  the  time,  both  made  their 


326 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


home.  A  few  years  afterward,  when  the  prospects  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Rock  Oil  Company  were  under  a  shadow,  Mr.  Townsend, 
who,  amidst  the  allurements  of  social  intercourse,  kept  an  eye  upon 
business,  induced  his  friend  DRAKE  to  invest  a  little  balance  of 
two  hundred  dollars  which  he  had  in  bank,  in  stock  of  that  cor- 
poration, and  sold  him  a  part  of  five  hundred  shares,  which  he 
himself  held.  This  was  the  beginning  of  his  connection  with  the 
business  which  has  rendered  his  name  famous.  About  the  first 
of  the  year  1857,  he  married  Laura  Dow,  of  New  Haven,  a  young 
woman  of  most  excellent  character,  who  has  ever  been  to  him  a 
friend  and  guide  in  prosperity,  and  a  staff  and  a  light  in  the  gloomy 
days  of  adversity  and  want.  During  the  summer  of  1857,  Mr. 
DRAKE  was  compelled  by  debilitating  illness  to  give  up  work  on 
the  railroad  for  a  couple  of  months ;  but  at  the  same  time  he  was 
not  prostrated,  and  having  at  least  an  "  inquiring  "  interest  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company,  he  began  to  investigate  its  pros- 
pects, and  the  subject  of  Petroleum  generally.  He  had  leisure  for 
conversation  with  the  directors,  of  whom  his  friend  Townsend  was 
one,  and  also  president  of  the  board. 

The  new  idea  of  developing  the  property  by  artesian  wells  had 
been  suggested  some  time  before,  and  found  in  Mr.  Asahel  Pier- 
pont,  an  intelligent  and  persistent  advocate.  Business  complica- 
tions forbade  the  thought  of  his  going  to  attend  to  a  matter  so  far 
away  from  home,  and  perhaps  the  growing  dissensions  of  the  com- 
pany discouraged  the  hope  of  efficient  action  in  a  legitimate  way. 
The  board  of  directors  consisted  of  five  members,  three  of  whom 
were  residents  of  New  Haven,  as  required  by  the  by-laws  adopted, 
and  though  representing  only  a  third  of  the  whole  stock  of  the  com- 
pany, they  controlled  the  management  of  its  aifairs.  From  what 
followed — all  of  which  has  been  minutely  described  in  the  opening 
chapters  of  this  book— it  is  indisputably  clear  that  the  New  Haven 
stockholders  were  determined  to  secure  to  themselves  the  advan- 
tages of  this  new  idea. 

In  December  of  the  year  1857,  Mr.  Townsend,  then  president 


COL.   E.   L.   DRAKE.  327 

of  the  board  of  directors,  engaged  Mr.  DRAKE  to  proceed  to  Ye- 
nango  County,  as  has  been  previously  stated.  He  finished  his 
business  and  returned,  enthusiastic  to  embark  in  the  enterprise 
which  they  had  projected. 

On  the  last  of  the  month,  the  New  Haven  members  of  the  board 
— a  majority  and  a  quorum — met  and  executed  a  lease  of  the  lands 
to  Mr.  Bowditch — one  of  the  largest  New  Haven  stockholders- — 
and  Mr.  DRAKE,  the  terms  of  which  were  remarkably  advantageous 
to  the  lessees,  but  which  it  was  found  necessary  to  change  before 
the  other  members  would  permit  them  to  go  on. 

When  all  was  satisfactorily  arranged  with  the  old  company,  a 
new  corporation  was  formed  called  "  The  Seneca  Oil  Company,"  of 
which  Mr.  DRAKE  was  the  nominal  president,  and  in  which  he  ap- 
peared as  the  principal  stockholder. 

In  the  published  articles  of  association  the  stock  was  subscribed 
as  follows : 

SHARES. 

W.  A.  Ivis, 2680 

E.  L.  Drake, 8926 

J.  F.  Marshall, 394 

But  of  the  8926  shares  which  were  in  his  name,  DRAKE,  according 
to  a  previous  understanding,  transferred  all  but  656  to  the  other 
members  of  "The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company,"  and  it  then 
stood  as  follows : 

Asahel  Pierpont, 3334 

James  M.  Townsend,      .....  2785 

William  A.  Ivis, 2680 

Edwin  E.  Bowditch, 1630 

E.L.Drake, 656 

Henry  L.  Pierpont, 521 

J.  F.  Marshall, 394 

Total,  ....        12,000 


328  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

This  comprised  all  the  New  Haven  members  of  The  Pennsylvania 
Rock  Oil  Company,  of  which  the  largest  stockholders  in  the  new 
company,  Pierpont,  Townsend  and  Ives,  were  directors. 

In  the  following  spring  Mr.  DRAKE  set  out  for  Titusville  with 
his  little  family,  and  until  a  house  was  prepared  boarded  at  the 
American  Hotel.  Himself,  wife,  and  two  children  and  a  horse, 
were  boarded  for  six  dollars  and-a-half  per  week,  where  a  few 
years  later  they  would  only  have  been  entertained  for  about  twice 
that  amount  per  day. 

Shortly  after  arriving  he  bought  a  tract  of  twenty-five  acres  of 
land  in  Titusville,  of  Jonathan  Watson,  through  the  centre  of 
which  Drake  Street  now  runs. 

He  unfortunately  sold  this  in  1863,  realizing  about  ten  thousand 
dollars  by  the  bargain.*  It  was  shortly  afterwards  sold  for  ninety 
thousand  dollars,  and  must  now  be  worth  not  less  than  treble  that 
amount. 

Nothing  perhaps  better  indicates  the  condition  of  the  little  vil- 
lage, than  the  fact  that  a  few  weeks  after  his  arrival,  being  in  want 
of  a  couple  of  picks  and  spades,  he  found  there  were  none  to  be 
had  short  of  Meadville  or  Erie.  Though  his  life  at  the  well  was 
crowded  with  incidents,  they  were  incidents  now  too  common  to  be 
any  longer  interesting. 

After  oil  was  struck  there  was  some  difficulty  in  obtaining 
a  market  for  it — a  difficulty  which  indeed  continued  to  increase, 
until  in  a  couple  of  years'  time,  it  was  for  a  season  nearly  impossi- 
ble to  sell  at  any  price.  There  was  no  room  for  delay,  and  relying 
upon  his  integrity  to  shield  him  from  the  imputation  of  improper 
motives,  naturally  counting  something  on  his  services  to  the  com- 
pany and  his  own  interest  in  that  company's  welfare,  he  hastened 
at  once  to  Pittsburgh  and  contracted  to  furnish  about  a  third  of  the 
oil  to  S.  M.  Kier,  and,  arranged  hastily  with  Mr.  Geo.  M.  Mowbray 
for  the  disposal  of  the  rest  on  commission. 

In  1860,  Mr.  Bissell  proposed  a  division  of  the  lands  in  lieu  of  the 

*  See  the  Sketch  of  Dr.  Atkinson  fora  detail  of  this  transaction. 


COL.   E.    L.   DRAKE.  329 

twelve  cents  per  gallon,  royalty,  and  the  Seneca  Company  thus  ob- 
tained in  fee  simple  one-third  of  the  island  which  DRAKE  after- 
wards sold  for  them,  for  enough  to  clear  them  of  all  indebtedness, 
though  it  is  doubtful  if  they  made  a  dime  by  the  whole  transac- 
tion. Indeed  they  declare  they  did  not. 

In  1860,  Drake  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Titus ville, 
an  office  worth  about  three  thousand  a  year  at  that  time,  when 
every  man  was  rushing  to  sell  or  buy  leases,  the  documents  for 
which  he  mostly  drew  and  acknowledged.  At  the  same  time  he 
bought  oil  for  Shiefflin  Bros.,  of  New  York,  and  thus  increased  his 
income  to  about  five  thousand  a  year. 

In  1863,  he  sold  his  property,  and  left  the  oil  region  forever, 
taking  with  him  between  fifteen  and  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and 
united  himself  with  some  "Wall  street  broker,  in  oil  stocks.  It  was 
a  very  unfortunate,  not  to  say  short-sighted  move,  for  a  man  with 
his  total  ignorance  of  the  manipulation  of  stocks  and  with  so  lim- 
ited a  capital. 

His  little  fortune  was  soon  engulfed.  His  health,  already  im- 
paired by  his  labors  on  the  Creek,  gave  way,  and  his  noble  wife 
now  cast  about  to  secure  the  future.  She  removed  the  family  to  a 
cheap  and  quiet  abode  in  Vermont,  and  hoarded  to  the  last  the 
little  she  had  been  able  to  save  from  the  wreck. 

But  his  illness  lingered  and  his  strength  failed,  and  his  physician 
advised  him,  if  possible,  to  seek  the  sea  air.  A  friend  kindly 
offered  the  use  of  a  cottage  on  the  Highlands-of-Never-Sink,  near 
Long  Branch,  New  Jersey,  and  thither  they  removed.  But  their 
funds  were  now  exhausted,  and  their  misery  began  indeed. 

His  disease  was  most  agonizing;  neuralgic  affection  of  the  spine, 
which  constantly  threatened  paralysis  of  the  lower  limbs.  He 
needed  constant  care,  and  his  wife,  surrounded  by  a  family  of  four 
helpless  children,  attempted  to  keep  them  in  bread  by  her  needle. 
Sewing  she  could  obtain  in  plenty,  when  she  could  tear  herself 
from  other  absolute  duties,  to  go  after  it,  tramping  through  wet 
meadows,  and  chill  and  choking  sea-fogs  that  roll  in  on  that 


330  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

dreary  point.  But  with  all  her  noble  and  uncomplaining  effort 
to  keep  them  in  bread  without  begging,  she  found  it  impossible. 
Medicines  were  out  of  the  question,  and  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
she  got  together  the  price  of  his^fare  to  New  York  and  back — 
eighty  cents — and  he  struggled  up  to  the  city  to  get  a  situation  for 
his  eldest  son  among  some  of  his  old  acquaintances.  Before  return- 
ing in  the  afternoon  he  was  met  and  recognized  in  the  street  by 
Mr.  Z.  Martin  of  Titusville,  who  noticed  his  wretched  appearance, 
and  drew  from  him  the  story  of  their  misery. 

.  Mr.  Martin,  after  providing  him  with  a  warm  dinner,  of  which 
he  stood  sorely  in  need  (for  above  the  money  to  pay  his  fare  he  had 
not  enough  to  pay  for  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  he  was  weak  from  hun- 
ger), gave  him  twenty  dollars,  and  cheered '  him  with  the  hope  of 
raising  a  fund  for  him  in  the  oil  region.  No  sooner  was  his  dis- 
tress made  known,  than  with  a  generosity  for  which  they  have  ever 
been  famed,  the  citizens  of  Titus ville,  with  some  aid  from  indi- 
viduals throughout  the  region,  raised  four  thousand  two  hundred 
dollars  for  his  relief;  which  wisely  enough  was  committed  to  the 
management  of  Mrs.  Drake,  who  has  frugally  hoarded  it,  and  yet 
continued  to  meet  a  part  of  the  family  expenses  with  the  wages  of 
her  needle. 

In  1870,  on  the  advice  of  his  physician,  she  removed  her  invalid 
husband  and  three  smallest  children,  to  Bethlehem,  near  Allen- 
town,  in  this  State,  where  they  are  still  living,  beloved  and  respected 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends  who  have  gathered  about  them. 

In  conclusion,  we  have  the  pleasure  to  record  the  fact  that  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  at  its  session  in  1873,  deemed  it  pro- 
per to  pass  a  law  which  grants  to  Col.  DRAKE  a  pension  of  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  a  year  during  life,  or  that  of  his  wife.  This  is 
not  charity,  but  simple  justice. 


Wooin.ur.TtTpi'.    A.  P.  It.  P.  Co.,  IMiihi 


CAPT.    A.    B.    FUNK 


CAPT.   A.   B.   FUNK.  331 


CAPT.  A.  B.  FUNK— Deceased. 

TITUSVILLE,   PA. 

AMONG  the  many  noted,  and  successful  pioneer  operators,  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Oil  Region,  Capt.  A.  B.  FUNK,  merits  distinction 
and  prominence.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  intellectual  acquire- 
ments and  yet  a  fair  type  of  the  hardy  settlers  of  the  wilds  of  that 
portion  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania.  When  the  oil 
developments  at  Titusville  became  a  reality,  Capt.  FUNK  was 
among  the  first  to  enter  into  the  new  enterprise,  lending  to  it  the 
whole  force  of  his  character  and  ample  wealth.  We  regret  we  have 
not  the  data  at  hand  for  a  completed  history  of  his  eventful  life;  for 
few  men,  active  as  he  was,  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  development 
of  petroleum  in  the  Pennsylvania  oil  fields,  deserve  so  generous  a 
remembrance.  Such  facts  as  we  have,  however,  we  make  use  of, 
more  for  the  purposes  of  a  tribute  to  his  memory,  than  a  detailed 
sketch  of  his  life. 

Capt.  A.  B.  FUNK  was  a  native  of  West  Newton,  Westmoreland 
County,  Pa.,  born  in  1811,  and  grew  to  man's  estate  in  his  native 
town.  His  earlier  years  were  devoted  to  commercial  pursuits,  in 
which  he  earned  for  himself  an  enviable  character  for  integrity, 
and  an  unblemished  repute  for  uprightness  and  honesty.  Later  in 
life  he  engaged  extensively  in  the  lumber  trade  on  the  Youghiogheny 
River — building  and  running  small  steamers  upon  its  waters — and 
here,  we  infer,  he  obtained  his  title  of  "  Captain." 

In  the  spring  of  1848,  he  had  superintending  charge  of  the  con- 
struction of  a  lock  and  dam,  known  as  "the  Upper  Lock  and 
Dam,"  on  the  Youghiogheny  Slackwater  Improvement.  During 
the  same  summer  he  began  the  construction  of  a  large  side-wheel 
steamer,  intended  for  the  Youghiogheny  river  trade.  This  vessel, 
called  "  THE  FARMER,"  he  completed  in  1850,  but  when  launched, 


332  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

she  proved  to  be  of  too  heavy  draft,  and  he  was  compelled  to  run 
her  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  The  management  and 
care  of  this  steamboat  enterprise  required  his  almost  constant  atten- 
tion, and  necessarily,  he  was,  during  the  season  of  navigation  at 
least,  away  from  his  home  in  West  Newton.  But  the  enterprise 
was  abundantly  successful,  and  he  continued  his  connection  with  it, 
until  the  fall  of  1851,  when  he  disposed  of  his  vessel,  having  pre- 
viously determined  to  purchase  timber  lands  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  In  pur- 
suance of  this  predetermined,  and  we  may  add,  well  considered 
enterprise,  he  soon  after  the  sale  of  his  steamer,  in  1851,  purchased 
of  Judge  Warner,  of  Allegheny  City,  a  large  tract  of  timbered 
lands,  located  in  Deerfield  Township,  Warren  County,  Pa.  In 
March,  1852,  with  his  family,  he  removed  to  his  new  home,  then 
in  the  wilds  of  this  portion  of  the  commonwealth,  and  entered  in- 
dustriously upon  the  work  before  him.  He  continued  his  lumber- 
ing operations  until  the  spring  and  summer  of  1859 — meantime 
largely  increasing  his  capital  and  his  products  as  well.  When  oil 
was  discovered  at  Titusville,  in  1859,  he  was  among  the  largest 
lumber  manufacturers  of  that  region,  and  his  enterprise  has  been 
abundantly  successful. 

In  the  fall  of  1859,  Capt.  FUNK  purchased  from  the  original 
proprietor,  David  McElhenny,  his  farm  of  less  than  one  hundred 
acres,  paying  him  $1,500  for  it — McElhenny  reserving  one 
quarter  of  the  oil !  In  the  spring  of  1860,  the  first  well,  "  The 
Fountain  Well,"  was  commenced  upon  the  property,  "spring  pole  " 
power  being  used,  until  a  depth  of  260  feet  had  been  attained.  It 
was  late  in  the  fall  of  1860,  and  winter  and  spring  of  1861,  when 
the  "  spring  hole  "  was  abandoned,  and  a  small  boiler  and  engine, 
procured  to  complete  the  drilling.  "The  Fountain  Well,"  was 
completed  in  May  186L,  and  started  oif  at  300  barrels  per  day  ! 

THIS  WAS  THE  FIRST  WELL  IN  THE  PENNSYLVANIA  OlL  REGION, 
DRILLED  TO  THE  THIRD  SAND  ROCK  ! 

The  development  of  this  farm,  always  known  as  "  The  Lower 


CAPT.  A.    B.   FUNK.  333 

McElhenny,"  was  rapidly  prosecuted  by  Capt.  FUNK,  and  by 
lessees,  under  him,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  it  was  among  the  most 
bountiful  producers  of  that  early  day.  Its  wonderful  product 
during  Capt.  FUNK'S  ownership,  and  the  handsome  sum  received  for 
the  property  in  1864,  netted  a  princely  fortune  to  its  owner.  Very 
many  of  the  lessees  and  operators  realized  large  fortunes  from  their 
investments,  and  retired  to  more  inviting  homes. 

Early  in  1864,  Capt.  FUNK  sold  his  oil  lands  and  property,  in- 
cluding the  lower  McElhenny  farm,  to  "  The  McElhenny  Oil 
Company,"  for  $100,000 !  This,  after  realizing  from  it,  in  profits, 
during  his  four  years'  ownership,  more  "  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars,"  than  we  care  to  mention.  The  sale  of  this  property 
practically  terminated  his  career  as  an  oil  producer.  During 
1863,  he  disposed  of  his  lumber-lands,  steam-mills,  &c.,  in  Deer- 
field  Township,  and  had  removed  to  Titusville,  Pa.,  where  he  sub- 
sequently built  a  substantial  residence,  which  he  lived  in  until  his 
death,  and  which  his  widow  still  owns  and  occupies. 

The  later  years  of  Capt.  FUNK'S  life  were  spent  in  doing  good. 
He  was  ever  a  noble-hearted,  generous  man ;  always  ready  to  aid 
those  who  deserved  it.  We  might  give  many  instances  of  his  lib- 
erality and  generosity  to  individuals  and  to  communities,  but  we 
must  content  ourselves  with  a  rehearsal  of  only  a  few. 

At  "  Steam  Mills,"  Deerfield  township,  where  Capt.  FUNK  first 
settled  in  1852,  are  monuments  of  his  liberality  and  enterprise  that 
speak  volumes  for  the  goodness  and  kindness  of  his  heart.  In 
1861,  he  built  a  substantial  church  edifice,  paying  every  dollar  of 
its  cost  himself.  Did  his  neighbors  supply  timber,  lumber,  stone, 
or  labor,  he  insisted  upon  the  payment  of  their  bills,  and  would 
allow  no  one  to  be  called  upon  for  assistance  to  complete  it.  This 
church,  when  it  was  ready  for  use,  with  five  acres  of  land  surround- 
ing it,  he  presented  by  warranty  deed,  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Society  of  Deerfield,  and  it  is  held  and  occupied  by  them  to  this 
day.  Later,  he  built  a  school-house,  in  the  same  locality,  and 
supplied  it  with  an  extensive  library — these  two  bounties  cost  him 


334  HISTORY  OP   PETROLEUM. 

in  all,  not  less  than  $10,000.  Nor  did  he  confine  his  generosity 
in  this  respect  to  his  immediate  neighborhood.  He  gave  bountifully 
to  churches  and  public  schools  about  him,  and  seemed  always 
anxious  so  to  do. 

During  the  winter  of  1859,  Hon.  JNO.  FERTIG,  now  Mayor  of 
Titusville,  and  a  producer  of  prominence,  was  employed  to  teach 
the  district  school  in  Capt.  FUNK'S  locality.  The  District  paid 
him  "$18  per  month  and  board."  Capt.  FUNK  generously  added 
$18  per  month  more,  and  towards  spring  presented  Mr.  FERTIG 
a  sizeable  lease  upon  the  Lower  McElhenny  Farm,  upon  which  that 
gentleman,  in  1861,  put  down  a  well,  the  product  and  profit  from 
which  became  the  basis  of  his  subsequent  success  and  later  ample 
wealth. 

Capt.  FUNK  died  on  the  2d  day  of  August,  1864,  universally 
mourned  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  record  was  that  of  a  good 
man.  He  was  kind  and  generous  to  the  poor,  liberal  in  aid  of  his 
less  fortunate  neighbors  and  friends,  and  ever  ready  to  assist  those 
struggling  with  adversity  and  misfortune.  But  above,  and  beyond 
all,  he  was  AN  HONEST  MAN — true  to  his  destiny,  true  to  his  fel- 
lows, true  to  himself,  and  faithful  and  devoted  to  his  family.  His 
religious  convictions  were  the  results  of  a  life-time  of  eventful  ex- 
periences, and  these  were  "a  shield  and  buckler"  to  him  in  his  dying 
hour.  He  passed  away  quietly  and  peacefully,  beloved  and 
lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  devoted  friends  and  bereaved  relatives 
and  kinsmen,  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age. 


Woodlmvvtvpe.    A.  P.  R.  !'.  Co..  I'hvl 


HENRY    R.    ROUSE. 


336  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

with  his  friend  Brigham,  and  $100  in  cash,  he  proceeded  to  the 
city  of  New  York  and  purchased  a  considerable  stock  of  dry  goods, 
groceries,  &c.,  and  in  a  few  months  after,  we  find  him  located  at 
Enterprise,  Warren  Co.,  Pa.,  five  miles  from  Titusville,  in  the  full 
tide  of  success  as  a  busy,  industrious  merchant  and  lumber  dealer. 
This  was  about  the  year  1844—5.  He  was  not  then  far  from 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  continued  in  the  lumber  and  mercantile 
trade  for  a  few  years,  when  he  disposed  of  his  store  and  goods  and 
gave  his  undivided  attention  to  his  large  lumber  enterprises.  He 
prospered  beyond  his  sanguine  hopes,  and  was  known  as  a  clear- 
headed, comprehensive  and  successful  lumber  man. 

In  the  fall  of  1858,  he  was  nominated  by  the  republican  party 
of  Warren  County  for  representative  in  the  General  Assembly,  and 
was  elected  by  a  flattering  majority — serving  in  the  legislatures  of 
1859,  and  1860 — for  he  was  re-elected  in  1859.  His  career  in 
this  responsible  position  was  marked  by  the  same  vigor,  industry 
and  integrity  as  had  characterized  him  in  the  conduct  of  his  pri- 
vate affairs.  He  was  incorruptible  in  his  legislative  action,  and 
supported  or  opposed  every  measure  presented  to  him  upon  his  own 
convictions  of  right.  He  attained  prominence  among  the  leading 
members  of  the  legislature  of  that  period,  and  was  known  and  ac- 
knowledged by  all,  as  an  honest  man,  a  high-toned  gentleman,  and 
an  incorruptible  law-maker. 

His  election  was  opposed  by  Mr.  Jonathan  Watson,  of  Titus- 
ville, with  considerable  bitterness  and  effect.  After  the  session  had 
closed,  Mr.  Watson  met  Mr.  ROUSE,  and  proffered  him  his  friend- 
ship, desiring  to  have  the  "  old  score  "  obliterated.  "  I  can  forget 
and  forgive  all  but  one  thing,"  said  Mr.  ROUSE.  "What's  that?" 
said  Mr.  Watson.  "  Your  story  during  the  election,"  said  ROUSE, 
with  a  knowing  wink  to  the  bystanders — "that  I  was  a  crazy 
spiritualist !  I'll  never  forgive  you  that,  if  I  find  that  you  set  ike 
story  in  motion  !  " 

The  rumor  was  in  circulation,  we  are  told,  but  Mr.  Watson  was 
not  responsible  for  its  currency,  and  the  old  score  was  cleared  oif, 


HENRY  R.   ROUSE.  337 

and  Mr.  Watson  was  ever  afterwards  a  warm  personal  friend  and 
admirer  of  HENRY  R.  ROUSE. 

When  in  1859  and  '60,  the  oil  excitement  burst  upon  the  quiet 
of  "  the  Creek,"  and  the  country  adjacent,  Mr.  ROUSE  was  yet  an 
extensive  land  owner  and  lumberman  at  Enterprise.  He  was  not 
long  in  taking  the  inspiration  of  the  hour,  and  with  his  partners,  Sam. 
Q.  Brown  and  John  Mitchel,  of  Franklin,  Pa.,  in  September,  1859, 
secured  leases  of  the  two  Buchanan  farms  at  Rouseville.  In  October 
following  he  had  completed  one  well  upon  the  Barnsdall  farm  near 
Titusville ;  and  another  upon  one  of  the  Buchanan  farms,  near 
Rouseville.  This  was  the  commencement  of  his  career  as  an  oil 
producer.  Fully  convinced  of  the  value  of  the  discovery,  he,  with 
his  partners  before  named,  began  a  general  investment  in  oil 
lands,  and  as  the  result  proved,  were  soon  the  owners  of  large 
tracts  of  the  best  oil  territory  then,  or  years  later,  developed. 
Wealth  poured  in  upon  him  in  fabulous  volume;  and  as  yet, 
the  territory  he  was  interested  in,  was  but  partially  developed.  His 
connection  with  the  early  developments  of  oil  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania began  late  in  1859,  and  terminated  with  his  terrible  death 
on  the  17th  of  April,  1861 — about  eighteen  months  in  all.  During 
this  brief  period  he  had  established  a  character  for  energy,  industry 
and  boldness  in  his  operations,  that  won  for  him  universal  admira- 
tion and  general  prominence.  It  has  been  remarked  by  one  who 
knew  him  well,  that  had  he  lived,  "he  would  have  been  a  giant  or 
a  bankrupt  in  the  oil  business."  With  him,  however,  as  with  Car- 
dinal Richelieu,  there  was  "  no  such  word  as  fail."  Daring  his  brief 
career  as  an  oil  operator  and  producer  he  had  laid  foundations  of  a 
great  fortune,  and  up  to  the  day  of  his  death  his  accumulations 
continued  to  increase  with  wonderful  rapidity. 

The  facts  and  detailed  circumstances  attending  his  death,  we  ob- 
tain mainly,  from  Mr.  GEO.  H.  DIMICK,  at  that  time  his  confi- 
dential clerk  and  cashier,  and  a  relative  of  the  family.  We  give 
them  mainly  in  Mr.  DIMICK'S  own  language : 

"Just  after  supper  on  the  evening  of  April  17th,  1861,  Mr. 
22 


338  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

ROUSE,  Mr.  PERRY,  Mr.  BUEL  and  myself  and  others  were  in  the 
sitting-room  of  Anthony's  Hotel,  (now  Cherry  Run  Hotel,)  discus- 
sing the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  (the  nearest  railroad  point  at  that 
time  being  Union  Mills  and  Garland,  and  news  from  the  outside 
world  requiring  from  two  to  three  days  to  reach  us,)  when  a  laborer 
on  the  fatal  well  hurried  into  the  room  to  say  that  a  monstrous  vein 
of  oil  had  been  struck  and  barrels  were  wanted  to  preserve  it. 

All  ran  to  the  well  with  the  exception  of  myself,  and  I  not  seeing 
the  man  who  attended  to  the  distribution  of  barrels,  started  in  the 
opposite  direction  for  teams  to  haul  the  necessary  packages.  I  had 
completed  my  errand  and  was  on  a  full  run  for  the  well  with  less 
than  twenty  rods  to  make, .  when  an  explosion  occurred  which 
nearly  took  me  from  my  feet.  On  the  instant  an  acre  of  ground  with 
two  wells  and  their  tankage,  a  barn  and  a  large  number  of  barrels 
of  oil  were  in  flames,  and  from  the  circumference  of  this  circle  of 
fire  could  be  seen  the  unfortunate  lookers-on  of  a.  moment  before, 
rushing  out,  enveloped  in  a  sheet  of  flame  which  extended  far  above 
their  heads,  and  which  was  fed  by  the  oil  thrown  upon  their  cloth- 
ing by  the  explosion.  Scenes  followed  each  other,  and  occurred 
simultaneously,  beggaring  both  description  and  imagination.  One 
poor  wretch  struggled  out  of  the  fire,  believing  himself  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  the  evil  one.  His  charred  and  naked  figure  was  speedily 
placed  in  a  blanket,  and  he  was  borne  from  the  place.  He  lamented 

his  supposed  arrival  in ,  in  piercing  tones  of  agony,  which 

proceeded  from  lips  burned  to  a  cinder,  and  hence  powerless  to  give 
proper  accent  to  his  language.  He  bemoaned  his  own  fate,  and  call- 
ing the  names  of  various  friends  warned  them  of  his  own  terrible 
punishment.  Death  ensued  in  four  hours. 

Above  the  well  and  against  the  foot  of  the  hill  had  been  rolled 
two  long  tiers  of  barrels.  One  of  the  victims  it  would  seem  had 
been  standing  on  these  barrels  near  the  well  when  the  explosion 
occurred  ;  for  I  first  discovered  him  running  over  them  away  from 
the  well.  He  had  hardly  reached  the  outer  edge  of  the  field  of  fire, 
when  coming  to  a  vacant  space  in  the  tier  of  barrels  from  which 


HENEY   B.    ROUSE.  339 

two  or  three  had  been  taken,  he  fell  into  the  vacancy,  and  there 
uttering  heart-rending  shrieks,  burned  to  death  with  scarcely  a 
dozen  feet  of  impassable  heated  air  between  him  and  his  friends. 

So  numerous  were  the  victims  of  this  fire  and  so  conspicuous,  as 
they  rushed  out,  enveloped  in  flame,  that  it  would  not  be  exaggera- 
tion to  compare  them  to  a  rapid  succession  of  shots  from  an  im- 
mense Roman  candle. 

Before  speaking  of  ROUSE,  a  word  about  the  well.  It  had  pro- 
duced oil  for  some  time  from  the  first  sand  rock,  but  failing  there, 
was  being  drilled  deeper  in  search  of  another  oil-bearing  formation. 
Its  location  was  near  the  upper  line  of  the  John  Buchanan  farm  on 
flie  east  side  of  Oil  Creek,  and  back  at  the  junction  of  the  bottom 
land^with  a  steep  hill.  A  few  rods  up  the  hill,  and  a  little  south 
of  the  well  -issued  a  spring,  which  had  formed  a  small  ravine  in 
running  down,  and  created  something  of  a  swamp  at  the  bottom 
and  around  the  well.  The  well  must  have  commenced  flowing  (as 
measurements  of  other  later  wells  would  prove,)  at  the  rate  of  three 
thousand  barrels  per  day,  and  although  but  eighteen  or  twenty 
minutes  of  flowing  preceded  the  explosion  yet  the  little  swamp 
was  covered  deep  with  oil,  excepting  several  small  elevations  on 
which  the  astonished  spectators  were  standing  when  the  shock  oc- 
curred. Had  this  catastrophe  happened  even  ten  minutes  later  it  is 
.safe  to  say  its  victims  would  have  been  quadrupled ;  for  word  of  the 
strike  had  spread  with  the  rapidity  of  thought,  and  hundreds  were 
running  in  breathless  anxiety  to  behold  it. 

Mr.  ROUSE  standing  probably  within  twenty  feet  of  the  well  and 
among  the  very  nearest  of  the  spectators  did  not  lose  possession  of 
his  mind  for  an  instant.  He  remembered  the  ravine,  and  dashed 
toward  it.  In  the  breast-pocket  of  his  coat  was  a  book  containing 
valuable  papers,  and  in  the  pocket  of  his  pantaloons  a  wallet  con- 
taining a  large  sum  of  money.  These  he  jerked  from  their  places 
and  threw  far  outside  of  the  fire,  where  they  were  afterwards  found 
in  safety.  He  had  accomplished  but  half  a  dozen  steps  when  he 
stumbled  and  fell,  still  being  within  the  circuit  of  fire.  He  buried 


340  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

his  face  in  the  mud  to  prevent  inhalation  of  the  flames ;  then  recov- 
ering himself  bounded  again  up  the  ravine,  falling  a  second  time 
completely  exhausted  at  a  point  where  two  men  barely  endured  the 
heat  long  enough  to  seize  and  drag  him  forth.  He  was  taken  to  a 
shanty  near  by,  placed  upon  the  bed  of  a  workman,  and  gasped 
through  five  hours  of  excruciating  agony  before  death  gave  relief. 
His  body  from  the  top  of  his  head  down  the  back  and  legs  to  the 
knees  was  burned  to  a  crisp.  The  front  of  his  person  being  less 
exposed  was  less  seriously  injured,  but  the  face  and  feet  were  the 
only  portions  so  far  escaping,  as  to  remain  in  any  degree  natural. 
The  former  was  partially  protected  by  the  ground  when  he  fell, 
and  the  latter  by  high-topped  boots.  Of  his  clothing,  which  was 
very  heavy,  but  a  handful  of  shreds  remained. 

ROUSE  during  the  period  of  consciousness,  which  •  lasted  up  to 
within  an  hour  of  his  death,  maintained  a  coolness  of  manner  most 
astonishing,  and  neither  by  word  or  action  betrayed  his  terrible 
bodily  suffering.  With  the  precision  and  unconcern  of  a  man  with- 
out a  care  he  dictated  a  will  concise  in  terms  and  correct  in  lan- 
guage, and  this,  too,  while  being  obliged  to  have  water  given  him 
with  a  spoon  not  only  at  the  end,  but  in  the  middle  of  every  sen- 
tence. The  bulk  of  his  estate  was  bequeathed  in  trust  to  the  Com- 
missioners of  Warren  Co.,  one  half  of  the  proceeds  to  be  applied  to 
the  improvement  of  the  public  roads.  The  proceeds  of  the  other 
half  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor.  Suitable  bequests  were  made  to 
all  his  relatives,  and  some  of  his  intimate  friends  also  found  them- 
selves remembered.  We  publish  herewith  a  copy  of  this  remarka- 
ble Will,  certified  by  the  E-egister  of  Warren  county. 

LAST  WILL  AND  TESTAMENT  OF  HENRY  R.  ROUSE. 


IN  THE  NAME  OF  GOD,  AMEN  : 

I,  HENRY  R.  ROUSE,  being  as  I  believe  near  my  last  moments,  but  sound  in 
mind,  do  make  this  my  last  Will  and  Testament. 

1st.  My  Executors  to  be  George  H.  Dimick,  Samuel  D.  Rouse  and  Samuel  Q. 
Brown. 

2d.  I  bequeath  to  my  father,  Samuel  D.  Rouse,  Five  Hundred  Dollars  per  year, 
during  his  lifetime. 


HENRY   R.    ROUSE.  341 

3d.  Rouse  &  Mitchell  hold  the  notes  of  A.  Skinner  and  Allen  Wright  for  Twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars.  My  half  I  bequeath  to  them ;  they  are  having  hard  enough 
times,  without  having  to  pay  the  notes. 

4th.  All  the  Lessees  of  Rouse  &  Mitchell,  and  Rouse,  Mitchell  &  Brown,  I  want  to 
have  their  leases  at  one-half  the  oil,  and  I  bequeath  to  them  all  of  my  share  of  said 
rents  over  the  one-half  the  product  of  the  wells  as  now  stipulated  to  be  paid  in  their 
respective  leases. 

5th.  I  bequeath  to  George  H.  Dimick  Two  Thousand  Dollars,  for  the  use  of  him- 
self and  his  mother,  to  be  paid  out  the  residue  when  my  estate  is  settled  up. 

6th.  To  John  Mitchell  I  bequeath  my  black  mare. 

7th.  I  have  the  Sheriff's  Deed  of  the  Store  and  Dwelling  House  occupied  by  Thos. 
Morean.  I  bequeath  said  property  to  his  two  youngest  children,  Eva  and  Maggie. 
Their  father  to  have  the  use  of  it  until  they  come  of  age. 

8th.  I  bequeath  the  residue  of  my  estate,  after  making  some  other  bequests,  to  the 
Commissioners  of  Warren  -County,  the  interest  of  it  to  be  expended  on  the  roads  of 
said  County,  after  I  make  some  other  bequests. 

9th.  I  have  a  little  namesake,  Harry  Rouse,  in  East  Granby,  Connecticut.  I  be- 
qifeath  to  him  Five  hundred  dollars.  I  cannot  think  of  his  name.  His  mother  is  the 
daughter  of  Joel  C.  Rouse ;  his  name  is  Harry  Rouse  Victs. 

10th.  David  H.  Taylor,  I  bequeath  to  him  Five  hundred  dollars. 

12th.  I  bequeath  to  my  aunt,  Clara  C.  Hart,  Five  hundred  dollars. 

13th.  I  bequeath  to  Miron  Waters,  Five  hundred  dollars,  to  be  paid  when  my  es- 
tate is  settled  up. 

14th.  I  also  bequeath  Five  hundred  dollars  to  my  hired  boy,  Miron  Dunham,  to 
be  paid  when  my  estate  is  settled  up. 

15th.  I  wish  to  change  the  object  of  the  bequest  contained  in  No.  8,  so  as  to  give 
the  benefit  of  one-half  of  it  to  the  poor  of  Warren  County.  It  is  given  in  trust  to 
the  County  Commissioners  for  that  purpose. 

16th.  To  Almedia  Arnold  I  bequeath  Two  Hundred  dollars. 

17th.  To  Joel  C.  Rouse,  of  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,I  bequeath  Three  hundred  dollars. 

ISth.  I  bequeath  to  Mrs.  Morean,  wife  of  Thomas  Morean,  Three  hundred  dollars. 

19th.  Two  gentlemen  carried  me  out  of  the  fire.  I  bequeath  them  each  one  hun- 
dred dollars. 

20th.  Let  my  funeral  be  without  display.  No  funeral  sermon  to  be  preached. 
Bury  me  by  the  side  of  my  mother  at  Westfield. 

21st.  I  have  a  beautiful  picture,  an  engraving,  in  Herstfield's  store,  at  Pittsburgh. 
I  bequeath  it  to  William  Hirst,  of  Meadville. 

22d.  I  bequeath  my  library  to  my  father. 

23d.  I  bequeath  my  wardrobe  to  Mrs.  Thomas  Morean. 

I  have  nothing  more  to  add  at  present.  I  authorize  all  who  are  here  present  to 
witness  the  foregoing  as  my  last  Will  and  Testament. 

In  testimony  that  the  foregoing  is  the  last  Will  and  Testament  of  HENRY  R. 
ROUSE,  and  at  his  request,  we  the  undersigned  hereby  sign  the  same  in  his  presence, 
in  Cornplanter  Township,  Venango  County,  this  seventeenth  day  of  April,  A.  D.  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-one. 

his  N.  F.  JONES, 

HENKY  R.  H  ROUSE.  ALLEN  WRIGHT, 

mark.  Physician  in  attendance,        S.  S.  CHRISTY, 

Z.  MARTIN, 
W.  B.  WILLIAMS, 

W.  H.  KlNTER. 


342  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

ROUSE  was  a  man  of  peculiar  religious  views ;  while  entertain- 
ing exalted  ideas  of  the  Creator  and  Ruler  of  the  universe,  he  yet 
deprecated  the  popular  forms  of  worship.  Fear  of  the  present  or 
of  the  life  to  come  had  no  place  in  his  heart.  After  the  completion 
of  his  will  and  but  little  more  than  an  hour  this  side  of  the  grave, 
a  preacher  friend  standing  in  the  little  group  watching  his  fading 
life,  desired  to  administer  religious  consolation.  Mr.  ROUSE  re- 
plied : — "  My  account  is  already  made  up.  If  I  am  a  debtor,  it 
would  be  cowardly  to  ask  for  credits  now.  I  do  not  wish  to  dis- 
cuss the  matter." 

The  well  burned  three  days  before  it  could  be  extinguished, 
which  was  finally  done  by  smothering  it  with  manure  and  earth. 
Its  appearance  wMle  burning  was  grand.  From  the  driving 
pipe,  six  inches  in  diameter,  to  the  height  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
arose  a  solid  column  of  oil  and  gas  burning  brilliantly.  Above 
this  hovered  an  immense  cloud  of  black  smoke,  which  would  seize 
sections  of  the  ascending  flames,  and  rolling  over  and  over,  first  ex- 
posing to  the  view  cloud,  and  then  flame,  would  rise  a  hundred  feet 
higher  before  the  flame  would  fade  out.  From  the  main  column 
below,  millions  of  individual  drops  of  oil  would  shoot  off  at  an 
angle  and  then  turning  the  arc  of  a  circle  drop  burning  to  the 
ground,  presenting  all  the  hues  of  the  rainbow  making  a  scene  like 
enchantment.  The  whole  accompanied  by  a  roar  hardly  inferior 
to  that  made  by  Niagara  Falls. 

Of  the  little  group  of  eight  sitting  in  the  hotel  at  the  time  word 
of  the  well  was  brought,  Mr.  Dimick  was  the  only  one  escaping  in- 
jury, and  ROUSE  was  the  only  one  burned  to  death. 

The  disaster,  although  so  mournful,  was  not  wholly  destitute  of 
ridiculous  incidents.  One  woman'  in  an  agony  of  fear,  rushed 
nearly  across  Oil  Creek  through  water  waist-deep,  ere  she  realized 
the  situation ;  and  a  man  of  strong  religious  convictions,  climbed  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  the  hill  in  rear  of  the  well,  before  he  could 
understand  that  it  was  not  the  day  of  judgment  which  ne  was 
making  such  good  time  in  getting  away  from. 


HENRY   R.   ROUSE.  343 

The  evening  of  the  fire  was  damp  and  murky,  and  the  gas, 
issuing  from  the  well  crept  along  the  ground  like  fog  in  a  valley. 
All  fires  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  had  been  extinguished, 
and  ignition  undoubtedly  occurred  from  a  boiler  eight  or  ten  rods 
distant.  The  amount  of  gas  escaping  from  the  well,  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  atmosphere,  made  explosion  almost  a  certainty,  and  it 
is  believed  that  fire  anywhere  within  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty 
rods  up  or  down  the  bottom  land,  would  sooner  or  later  have  been 
reached  with  a  result  much  more  terrible. 

Rumor  has  often  charged  Mr.  ROUSE  with  smoking  a  cigar 
which  caused  the  explosion.  This  we  know  to  be  false,  from  his 
own  statement  of  the  direction  from  which  the  explosion  originated, 
and  the  extreme  care  which  he  invariably  took  in  banishing  cigars 
and  pipes  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  wells. 

Nineteen  persons  lost  their  lives  by  this  fire,  as  follows: 
Henry  R.  Rouse,  Enterprise,  Pa. ;  W.  S.  Skinner,  Wattsburg, 
Pa. ;  James  Walker,  Butler  Co.,  Pa. ;  George  Hayes,  Chautauqua 
Co.,  N.  Y. ;  Albert  Gardner,  Pontiac,  Mich. ;  Judson  Mason,  New 
York  State;  G.  W.  Bentley,  Harlansburg,  Pa,;  and  Philander 
Stevens,  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.  Badly  burned:  Levi  Walker, 
Butler  County,  Pa. ;  S.  Houston  Walker,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. ;  John 
Resiling,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y. ; Easton  (fatally;)  White- 
son,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y. ;  Constant  Burnell,  Erie  County,  Pa. ; 
James  Perry,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  (fatally :)  Smith  Cushing,  Sherman, 
JN".  Y. ;  Thomas  Page,  Mercer  Co.,  Pa. ;  J.  G.  Stratton,  Crawford 
Co.,  Pa. ;  James  Smith,  Yenango  Co.,  Pa. ;  James  Johnson,  Mer- 
cer Co.,  Pa. ;  Archibald  Montgomery,  Venango  Co.,  Pa. ;  Willis 
Benedict,  Warren  County,  Pa. ;  Lockwood,  Michigan ;  Au- 
gustus Cummings,  orphan  boy,  fatally ;  Buel,  Utica,  N.  Y. ; 

Jos.  Floyd,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  (fatally ;)  J.  A.  Kent,  Chautauqua  Co., 
N.  Y. ;  John  Glass,  Butler  Co.,  Pa. ;  Geo.  Glass,  Henry  Chase, 
Mr.  Burly  and  a  few  others  slightly  burned.  In  all  nineteen  per- 
sons lost  their  lives,  and  eight  or  ten  were  disfigured  or  maimed 
for  life. 


344  HISTORY   OF    PETROLEUM. 

Thus  perished  HENRY  R.  ROUSE,  by  a  fearful  disaster  which 
swept  from  the  habitations  of  men,  nineteen  human  beings,  half  of 
them  without  note  or  warning,  and  almost  in  a  twinkling  of  an  eye. 
The  explosion  was  instantaneous,  and  death  to  a  majority  of  its  vic- 
tims was  sudden  and  painless.  The  large  number  who  surviveckthe 
catastrophe,  and  who  yet  live,  bear  the  marks  of  the  terrible  con- 
flagration about  their  persons. 

HENRY  R.  ROUSE  was  a  little  more  than  38  years  of  age  when 
this  fatal  accident  came  upon  him.  From  a  feeling  tribute  to  his 
memory,  written  by  a  kinsman,  and  published  in  the  Warren  (Pa.) 
Mail,  of  May  4,  1861,  we  transcribe  the  following  truthful  esti- 
mate of  his  leading  characteristics : 

"  Mr.  ROUSE  was  distinguished  for  many  noble  traits  of  char- 
acter. Foremost  among  these  were  energy  and  decision.  He  was 
rather  small  in  stature,  and  of  light  frame,  but  the  energy  of  his 
will,  carried  him  forward  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  object, 
through  difficulties  and  over  obstacles  that  would  have  deterred 
common  men.  To  this  he  owed  his  success  in  life.  He  never 
knew  fear.  To  resolve  was  to  execute,  and  his  business  capacities 
were  of  the  brightest  order.  He  was  emphatically  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortune.  He  was  a  man  of  a  noble  public  spirit.  There 
was  no  enterprise  by  which  the  public  were  to  be  benefited,  the  re- 
sources of  the  region  developed,  facility  of  intercourse  increased,  in 
which  he  was  not  interested.  He  spent  much  time,  labor  and 
money  opening  and  improving  roads,  constructing  bridges,  and 
helping  on  every  work  which  tended  to  develop  the  wealth  of  the 
new  region  about  him.  How  dear  to  him  was  the  accomplishment 
of  these  is  evident  from  his  will,  which  appropriated  one-half  of 
his  property,  after  the  payment  of  legacies,  to  the  construction  and 
improvement  of  roads  and  bridges  in  Warren  County. 

He  was  a  man  of  much  literary  taste  and  culture,  and  a  great 
reader.  The  impulse  which  he  received  in  this  direction  in '  his 
academical  course  was  never  lost.  He  kept  himself  informed  of 


HENRY  R.    HOUSE.  345 

the  affairs  of  the  nation,  and  had  collected  a  large  library  of  stan- 
dard works  in  history  and  general  literature. 

He  was  a  man  of  warm  impulses  and  strong  personal  attachments. 
He  loved  his  friends  with  his  whole  heart,  and  never  forgot  them ; 
and  he  greatly  enjoyed  friendly  and  social  intercourse  with  them. 
Having  no  family  of  his  own,  he  was  continually  showing  kind- 
nesses to  families  and  children  of  his  neighbors,  making  them  pre- 
sents, taking  them  to  ride ;  and  he  surprised  a  number  of  his  little 
friends  by  legacies  in  his  will.  Many  of  his  early  friends  were 
thus  remembered ;  and  to  each  of  the  persons  who  picked  him  up, 
when  insensible,  and  carried  him  to  a  place  of  safety,  he  gave  a 
legacy  of  $100. 

To  the  poor  he  was  proverbially  liberal,  dispensing  his  favors 
with  a  lavish  hand.  Many  are  the  anecdotes  current  of  his  timely 
and  sympathizing  aid.  He  never  forgot  that  he  himself  was  once  poor, 
and  he  had  a  strong  sympathy  for  indigent  merit,  and  always  lent 
with  an  open  hand  to  its  encouragement;  and  in  his  will  he  showed 
the  liberality  of  his  heart  by  giving  one-half  of  his  princely  fortune 
for  the  support  of  the  poor  of  Warren  County.  He  was  loved  by 
all  who  knew  him ;  and  in  his  death  Warren  County  lost  a  most 
valuable  and  public-spirited  citizen,  his  fellow-townsmen  an  ener- 
getic and  liberal-minded  business  man,  the  cause  of  virtue  and 
sound  morals  a  firm  supporter,  and  the  poor  a  sympathizing  and 
most  helpful  friend." 


346  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 


GEORGE  H.  BISSELL. 

NEW   YORK   CITY. 

AMONG  the  earliest  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  Western  Penn- 
sylvania Oil  Region,  GEORGE  H.  BISSELL,  of  New  York  city, 
must  take  a  leading  and  a  prominent  place.  We  show  clearly  in  suc- 
ceding  sketches  and  by  historical  data,  that  petroleum  was  gathered 
upon  the  Watson  Flats  near  Titusville,  and  at  McClintockville, 
just  above  Oil  City,  as  early  as  1840,  and  so  on  down  to  1856-7-8 
and  '59.  It  however  remained  to  Mr.  BISSELL  to  give  force  and 
effect,  and  final  triumph  in  developing  this  world-renowned  bene- 
faction. 

The  facts,  as  we  give  them  below,  are  obtained  from  reliable 
data,  and  are  given  without  fear  of  contradiction.  But  first  of  Mr. 
BISSELL'S  early  history. 

GEORGE  H.  BISSELL  was  born  at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire. 
He  is  descended  from  a  family  of  Norman-French  origin,  which 
came  from  Somersetshire,  England.  His  mother  came  of  Belgic 
and  Holland  descent.  One  of  his  ancestors  was  the  first  settler  at 
Windsor,  Connecticut,  in  1628.  The  late  Governor  Clark  Bissell, 
of  Connecticut,  and  Governor  William  H.  Bissell,  of  Illinois,  were 
relatives. 

About  the  age  of  twelve  years  his  father  died,  and  GEORGE  was 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  for  support.  He  has  gained  educa- 
tion and  fortune,  bnt  never  by  the  aid  of  a  dollar  from  any  one. 
While  at  school  and  college  he  supported  himself  by  teaching  and 
writing  for  magazines  and  papers.  In  the  business  struggle,  it  has 
been  his  own  energy  and  talents  which  have  won  the  victory. 

Some  two  years  were  spent  at  the  Military  School  at  Norwich, 
Vermont;  another  period  at  Kimball  Union  Academy,  at  Meriden, 


r 


L 


GEORGE    H.    BISSELL.  .    347 

New  Hampshire,  and  he  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in 
1845.  For  about  two  months  he  held  the  professorship  of  the 
Greek  and  Latin  languages  at  the  University  at  Norwich,  but  re- 
signed on  account  of  the  inadequate  salary. 

Going  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  he  was  employed  during  the  winter 
of  1845-6,  as  correspondent  of  the  Richmond  Whig.  In  the  spring 
of  1846  he  went  to  Cuba,  and  thence  to  New  Orleans,  where  he 
became  connected  with  the  editorial  department  of  the  New  Orleans 
Delta.  For  several  years  thereafter  he  contributed  largely  to  the 
columns  of  the  different  papers  of  that  city. 

In  1846,  on  the  organization  of  the  High  School,  Mr.  BISSELL 
was  elected  its  first  Principal,  over  many  competitors.  Subse- 
quently he  was  chosen  Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools  in 
New  Orleans.  His  remarkable  administrative  ability,  and  high 
qualifications  as  a  scholar,  were  of  great  service  in  his  onerous 
position.  The  schools  reached  a  discipline  and  prosperity  before 
unknown.  Amid  the  pressure  of  official  and  editorial  duties,  he 
still  found  opportunity  to  study  law  and  several  of  the  modern  lan- 
guages. In  the  summeriof  1853  -impaired  health  compelled  him 
to  come  to  the  North. 

It  was  during  this  year  that  Mr.  BISSELL'S  attention  was  first 
called  to  Petroleum.  He  saw,  at  the  office  of  Professor  Crosby,  of 
Dartmouth  College,  a  bottle  of  petroleum,  given  Professor  Crosby 
by  Doctor  Brewer,  of  Titusville,  Pennsylvania,  found  upon  his 
(Doctor  Brewer's)  land  on  Oil  Creek.  He  became  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  product,  and,  about  six  months  after,  sent  to  Titusville, 
Mr.  J.  G.  Eveleth,  who  was  then,  and  had  been  previously,  his 
partner  in  other  business.  They  bought  together,  what  were  then 
thought  to  be  the  principal  oil-lands  of  Pennsylvania.  The  lands 
were  in  extent  one  hundred  acres  in*  fee  simple,  and  one  hundred 
and  twelve  acres  on  lease  for  ninety-nine  years,  on  Oil  Creek,  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  below  Titusville,  for  which  they  paid  five 
thousand  dollars.  In  1854  they  organized  "The  Pennsylvania 
Rock  Oil  Company/'  which  was  the  first  petroleum  company  in 
the  United  States. 


148 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


This  Company  was  organized  under  the  laws  of  New  York,  with 
a  nominal  capital  of  $500,000,  most  of  the  stock  being  owned  and 
retained  by  Messrs.  EVELETH  and  BISSE  L,  who  were  its  officers. 

The  Company  proceeded  to  develop  the  lands  by  trenching  them, 
and  raising  the  surface  oil  and  water  into  vats.  The  supply  was 
very  limited,  amounting  to  perhaps,  a  few  barrels  in  the  course  of 
a  season,  which  was  sold  at  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  gallon,  to 
parties  who  retailed  it  for  medicinal  purposes.  In  the  spring  of  1855, 
Professor  Sillimaa,  of  Yale  College,  was  employed  to  analyze  the 
oil,  and  Messrs.  BISSELL  and  EVELETH  furnished  him  with  all 
useful  apparatus  for  his  experiments,  and  paid  the  entire  cost  of  the 
analysis.  Professor  Silliman's  report,  published  in  the  fall  of 
1855,  attracted  attention  in  New  Haven,  and  led  to  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company,  with  that  gentleman 
as  President. 

The  work  of  trenching  the  lands  was  continued  until  1858, 
when  the  question  of  boring  an  artesian  well  was  discussed,  and 
advocated  strongly  by  Mr.  BISSELL,  it  having  been  suggested  by 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Kier  of  Pittsburgh  h%d  obtained  a  small  quan- 
tity of  oil  from  one  of  his  salt  wells  near  Pittsburgh,  at  a  depth  of 
about  400  feet. 

The  New  York  and  New  Haven  stockholders  were  not  har- 
monious, and  finally,  after  much  discussion  and  difficulty,  a  contract 
was  concluded  between  the  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil  Company  and 
some  of  its  members,  by  which  the  latter  agreed  to  lease  the  lands 
for  a  term  of  years,  and  pay  the  parent  Company  a  royalty  of  12 
cents  a  gallon  on  all  oil  raised.  They  then  organized  in  New 
Haven  a  new  Company,  based  on  the  lease  aforesaid,  and  employed 
one  of  their  number,  Mr.  E.  L.  Drake,  as  Superintendent,  and  fur- 
nished him  with  the  necessary  capital.  He  proceeded  to  Titusville, 
and  after  many  delays  and  obstacles,  on  the  28th  day  of  August, 
1859,  the  first  vein  of  oil  was  struck,  and  the  first  petroleum  ob- 
tained from  an  artesian  well  drilled  on  Oil  Creek,  Venango  county, 
Penna.,  and  this  was  accomplished  under  the  auspices  of  "  The 


GEORGE   H.   BISSELL. 


349 


Seneca  Oil  Company,"  lessees  of  "The  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil 
Company,"  the  organization  of  which,  and  the  first  purchase  and 
development  of  oil  lands  under  it,  were  mainly  due  to  GEORGE  H. 
BISSELL. 

Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  "Drake  well,"  Mr.  BISSELL 
and  Mr.  EVELETH  began  the  purchase  of  large  tracts  of  oil  lands 
along  "The  Creek,"  investing  between  two  and  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  the  enterprise.  Thenceforward  they  engaged 
in  the  production  of  the  oil  by  drilling  wells  at  various  points  on 
"The  Creek,"  at  Franklin,  Petroleum  Centre,  &c.,  doubling  and 
quadrupling  their  investments  in  munificent  pecuniary  returns. 
We  have  not  the  details  of  all  the  operations  of  these  pioneer  ope- 
rators, and  it  is  perhaps,  needless  that  we  give  'them.  It  is  enough 
to  know  that  GEORGE  H.  BISSELL'S  name  is  identified  promi- 
nently, and,  we  may  add,  honorably  so,  with  all  the  early  struggles 
and  later  triumphs  in  connection  with  this  great  national  blessing, 
and  that  his  name  and  fame  is  "a  household  word  "  among  oil  men 
from  end  to  end  of  the  continent. 

From  1859  to  1863,  Mr.  BIS&ELL  was  a  resident  of  the  oil  region, 
his  home  being  at  Franklin,  "V^nango  county.  He  erected  a  large 
barrel  factory  at  Franklin,  and  continued  this  industry  for  some 
years.  In  1866,  he  established  a  banking-house  at  Petroleum  Cen- 
tre, which  has  withstood  the  vicissitudes  and  disasters  of  the  oil 
region  from  year  to  year,  and  is  to-day  regarded  as  one  of  the 
soundest  and  most  substantial  banking  institutions  in  the  oil  coun- 
try. Mr.  BISSELL  still  continues  his  connection  with  it,  and  this 
fact  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  of  its  stability  and  unquestioned  sound- 
ness. 

In  1863,  Mr.  BISSELL  removed  to  the  city  of  New  York.  In 
1864,  he  represented  the  oil  dealers  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Petro- 
leum Board  of  New  York,  at  Washington.  He  made  a  powerful 
and  effectual  argument  before  the  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means 
in  opposition  to  the  tax  on  the  crude  material,  which  would  have 
proved  ruinous. 


350  HISTORY   OF   PETHOLEUM. 

In  addition  to  conducting  an  immense  petroleum  business,  he 
was  at  one  time  carrying  on  three  banking  institutions,  building  a 
railroad  in  the  oil  country,  and  was  president  and  director  of  va- 
rious companies  in  New  York.  With  a  majority  of  these  he  is  still 
actively  connected.  He  has  recently  been  prominent  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  New  York  Loan  and  Indemnity  Company.  He  is  also 
President  of  the  Peruvian  Petroleum  Company  and  of  the  Peruvian 
Refining  Company.  These  companies  supply  most  of  the  petro- 
leum used  on  the  Pacific  coast  of  South  America,  and  have  made 
large  shipments  to  Australia,  England,  and  other  countries. 

Mr.  BISSELL  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  York  in  1855 — to 
practice  in  the  United  States  Courts  in  1857,  and  to  the  bar  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1861.  He  was  married  in  1855,  to  Miss  Ophie 
Louise  Griffen,  of  New  York  city,  who  died  suddenly  in  the  spring 
of  1867.  He  has  been  a  liberal  donor  to  various  institutions. 
Dartmouth  College  is  indebted  to  him  for  a  gymnasium  which  cost 
twenty-four  thousand  dollars. 

Mr.  BISSELL  has  an  erect,  well-proportioned  figure,  an  active 
step,  and  an  intellectual  head  and  face.  His  head  is  long,  towering 
to  a  round,  high  brow,  while  the  o%her  features  are  not  less  signifi- 
cant of  mental  force  and  the  purest  character.  His  eyes  are  sharp, 
and  look  forth  with  much  directness.  The  mouth  is  closed,  having 
the  expression  of  decision  and  energy,  which  are  the  leading  char- 
acteristics of  the  man.  The  peer  of  his  contemporaries  in  the 
walks  of  business,  he  is  endowed  with  scholarly  accomplishments 
which  fit  him  for  any  of  the  most  exalted  positions  of  life.  Friendly 
and  honorable  in  social  intercourse,  he  is,  also,  one  who  is  to  be 
admired  for  the  successful  application  of  varied  and  brilliant  talents 
in  all  other  relations  with  his  fellow-men.  A  man  of  fine  mental 
accomplishments  and  of  commanding  business  talents,  he  has  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  many  widely  different  fields  of  effort,  and  his 
life  affords  events  of  much  popular  interest. 


Woo-lburvtvpe.    A.  P.  R.  P.  Co..  1'hihi. 


CHARLES    HYDE. 


CHAKLES  HYDE.  *  351 


1Y1)E. 
T>;   .  r.-.ri.Kr,j>,  ;:;•] ;v  JITRCV.':Y. 

'J^«**f-.:l  pion^r  oil  producers,  <!v  *.,'•,. 

*kw»i  is  perUw  oi.o  «,f  the  most  'icta^-,   H:, 

-VSIH.VCP  I  he-  results  of  :  .-H)d  ludv'1  oiii.-oi 

••'>rmg  of  judicious  invest  n  outs, coupler!    ,-?  • 

'"-        *   t-u-r.     W;th  his  good   fortune.  .,   u-ii  ,-  J, 

»  hi])!,  ic  g:i!hcr    i.p   his  c,  nimali^ii.ms  .n  ,,!    h-|f]   ;:;-.,     -^ 
tJ».<M  profitable  ventures  ;   tLo  sketch.  \v«*  criv..-.  b.Trui;:,   w'i 
r-:;it.  .!<<  in  the-     pre.i 'niniarv  su^ov^tio-*   N»-,t]  -v't'i^-i 

Tr.'.,:,-'-C    v  :-.-i.'f«Hl. 

iTvuK  J8  ;i  nai-jv;-  nf  fin    f  »-,  •• 

"  * ' '  i.*;    y 

vs  birth  u-iv  kno-ii  as  JrlvfTev-iii^  M:-  -   jj- 

l:-il1^'         °'  i;''  M-ttL.-rs  -/that  i.,ca!uv.    Th*i  rown  ,.»»•  viiln^c- 

r'"  '  s  £asie  ViD^r:,  ana  ^>  u  p«.;.4,  of  cousideribii.'  »otc 

ia}'    Oonnf..  N.  Y       (.^harloi:  it  tii«  th>ni'of  n  ilmiiiv  «.f 

ildren— tin-.-.-    s,  us  an<j  <(rjc  daughfrr..    .A'  tfu-  ag--  «  f  .<--[,  >  ,.t, 

lather  ixr.novwj  J  ,  V-Jlev,  then    n  the  same  founiA    W 

.-•"•v".     ^lirivin;.^>v/    ?     '  •-.••;:ifv  <-.;%M   .'  .r^-iif-r     Jrilf'"5/    0'"'.''»>j 

:    ^Jt-       '-J.C  (aiailv  rorr;v>s"<sJ.i^ 

«P«  uJJv  ,lean-,l  up  .farm, 

'•*'lm  1'^^  ;        .-l>^-ediV  btaclpole 

:^'--'::  .'  .-«.bf<;  or 

'  Oetuvx'  <).!  <•':•  »*  J..K  ,. 


*y  by  Mr.  Hvde,  c^rv 

-  3-1  per  ;v-,- 

:  •-»  «,>       tfitf**;  >r 

•    t*K!    il-'Llie,   ?P.ti'    S ...     v;^  {:.,•;*'?  >«jh,    ,  r^f.,   ,        -v^ 


352 


HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 


pany  with  his  father  and  two  brothers,  "W.  C.,  and  E.  B.  Hyde, 
he  purchased  a  small  tract  of  twenty-five  acres  of  land  near  Centre- 
ville,  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  and  in  connection  with  the  grocery 
and  hardware  trade,  engaged  to  a  limited  extent  in  the  manufacture 
of  salts  and  saleratus,  from  ashes  gathered  or  brought  to  their  place 
of  business.  The  firm  was  known  as  E.  Hyde  &  Sons.  Three 
years  were  spent  in  this  enterprise,  the  business  steadily  increasing, 
demanding  greater  facilities  and  larger  capital.  Success  in  a 
marked  degree  followed  these  ventures,  and  industry  and  frugality 
characterized  all  the  operations  of  this  firm  of  father  and  sons.  To 
their  other  interests  they  added  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  which 
was  run  out  of  Oil  Creek  into  the  Allegany  Kiver,  and  thence  to 
Pittsburgh.  At  the  end  of  three  years  successful  business, 
CHARLES  purchased  his  father's  and  brothers'  interests,  and  thence- 
forward assumed  its  entire  responsibility.  Soon  after  he  became 
sole  proprietor,  his  ashery  burned,  and  he  abandoned  the  idea  of 
rebuilding  it,  and  resolved  to  confine  himself  exclusively  to  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  The  "  Hydetown  Mills,"  were  at  this  date 
the  property  of  JOHN  TITUS,  who  had  become  hopelessly  involved 
in  debt,  and  was  soon  after  compelled  to  compromise  with  his  cre- 
ditors. Mr.  Hyde,  Sen.,  who  was  one  of  Mr.  Titus7  largest  cre- 
titors,  finally  purchased  the  property  upon  a  fair  valuation,  paying 
Mr.  Titus  the  difference,  over  and  above  his  indebtedness.  Soon 
after  the  conclusion  of  this  transaction,  CHARLES  again  entered 
into  co-partnership  with  his  father  and  brothers,  and  removed  to 
"Titus  Mills/7 — assuming  charge  of  the  property  and  business. 
This  was  in  1846,  and  from  this  time  on  "Titus  Mills/7  was  succeed- 
ed by  "  Hydetown/7  and  by  this  name  has  the  little  village  since  been 
known — now  come  to  be  a  point  of  considerable  importance,  and 
^boasting  a  thrifty  growth,  with  many  handsome  residences,  which 
villages  of  greater  pretensions  might  point  to  with  pride. 

This  last  partnership  continued  for  two  years,  and  was  measura- 
bly successful.  At  its  termination — the  father  purchasing  the 
interest  of  the  sons — CHARLES  spent  a  month  or  more,  in  exploring 


CHARLES  HYDE.  353 

the  great  lumbering  regions  of  the  Clarion  river,  traversing  the 
country  for  a  hundred  miles  or  more,  on  foot.  He,  however,  re- 
turned to  Hydetown,  and  the  following  year  purchased  the  Hyde- 
town  Mills — in  which  he  had  retained  a  small  interest — and  at 
once  entered  largely  into  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  This  property 
he  still  owns  and  operates,  and  it  is  a  source  of  considerable  revenue 
to  him.  The  property  has  meanwhile,  however,  been  much  im- 
proved, the  capacity  of  the  mills  greatly  increased,  and  the  facili- 
ties for  manufacturing  materially  added  to.  To  his  lumber  business, 
he  united  soon  after  his  purchase  of  the  property,  a  large  mercantile 
trade,  all  which  he  successfully  conducted  for  many  years,  and 
altogether  he  may  be  set  down  as  a  well-to-do  merchant-lumber- 
man, long  before  the  oil  excitements  of  1859-'60,  and  later,  came 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  residents  of  that  locality,  or  startled  the 
public  mind  from  end  to  end  of  the  country. 

As  early  as  1840-'41,  Mr.  HYDE  knew  of  the  existence,  and  in 
quantities,  too,  of  petroleum  oil  below  Titusville.  With  his  father, 
he  had  many  times  visited  these  "  oil  springs,"  to  procure  supplies 
for  lighting  their  mills  and  other  purposes.  Their  mode  of  obtain- 
ing it  was  by  digging  trenches,  or  excavating  from  four  to  six  feet  in 
depth  and  diameter,  into  which  the  oil  would  run  upon  the  surface 
of  the  water  in  such  quantities,  that  with  cloths,  they  were  enabled 
to  gather  and  "  wring  out "  pails  full  of  the  odorous  fluid.  This 
was  also  true  of  the  McClintock  farm  near  Rouseville.  Mr.  HYDE, 
from  1840,  down  to  1858-9,  frequently  visited  the  McClintock 
farm,  and  purchased  barrels  of  petroleum,  which  was  taken  thence 
to  Titusville  and  elsewhere,  and  sold  at  $1.00  per  gallon,  for  illu- 
minating and  for  medicinal  purposes. 

When  in  1859,  the  old  "Drake  Well"  was  commenced,  Mr. 
HYDE  was  still  a  resident  of  Hydetown,  driving  his  lumber  and 
mercantile  interests,  as  only  he  knew  how  to  drive  them.  Col. 
Drake  became  a  customer  of  his,  in  a  small  way,  purchasing  some 
of  his  supplies,  small  tools,  shovels,  etc.,  at  his  establishment  in 
Hydetown.  He  was  not,  therefore,  an  uninterested  observer  of  this 

23 


354 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


new  enterprise.  Col.  Drake  visited  Mr.  HYDE  often,  and  thus  he 
was  enabled  to  keep  himself  thoroughly  informed  in  regard  to  the 
progress  of  events.  When  later  in  the  summer  of  1859,  the  well 
was  down  and  pumping  ten  to  twelve  barrels  of  "Seneca  oil, 
worth  one  dollar  a  gallon,"  Mr.  HYDE  did  not  craze  himself  over 
the  event,  as  many  of  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances  did.  An 
additional  demand  was  made  upon  his  well-filled  lumber  yards  at 
Hydetown,  for  derricks,  engine  houses,  dwellings,  tank  lumber, 
etc.,  etc.,  and  these  he  supplied  as  promptly  as  he  was  able  to,  and 
during  the  fall  and  winter  and  spring  of  1859,  and  '60,  his  business 
was  amply  remunerative,  and  he  was  satisfied  with  its  profits,  and 
its  rapid  increase. 

During  the  winter  or  early  spring  months  of  1860,  however, 
Mr.  HYDE  was  invited  by  his  friend,  SAMUEL  GRANDIN,  of  Ti- 
dioute,  to  become  a  share-owner  in  "  The  Tidioute  and  Warren 
Oil  Company,"  then  about  organizing  at  that  point.  He  left 
his  home  a  day  or  two  after  receiving  Mr.  GRANDIN'S  invitation, 
and  proceeded  to  Tidioute,  where,  after  a  careful  canvass  of  the 
matter,  he  became  a  purchaser  of  one  share  of  this  property,  paying 
$1,000  for  it.  The  property  was  divided  into  ten  shares  of  $  1,000 
each.  This  was  his  first  investment  in  oil  territory. 

[A  fuller  detail  of  "  The  Tidioute  and  Warren  Oil  Company," 
will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Mr.  J.  L.  GRANDIN,  and  we  omit 
further  mention  of  it  here.] 

The  development  of  this  property  followed  early  in  the  spring 
of  1860.  The  spring  freshets  came,  and  upon  them,  Mr.  Hyde 
started  with  his  stock  of  lumber  for  Pittsburgh.  A  day  or  two 
after  reaching  the  Allegany  river,  he  was  overtaken  by  a  raftsman 
from  above  Tidioute.  Mr.  HYDE  inquired  of  him,  in  regard  to 
the  oil  prospects  in  that  locality,  and  especially  in  reference  to 
developments  upon  -"  the  Tidioute  and  Warren  Oil  Company's  " 
lands.  "They've  got  a  big  well  up  there,"  said  the  raftsman,  "and 
upon  that  very  farm,  too  !"  "  Have  they?"  said  Mr.  HYDE, — "  I 
own  one-tenth  of  that  property !"  "  Do  you?"  was  the  reply. 


CHARLES  HYDE.  355 

<(  Then  you'd  better  jump  from  that  raft  and  go  straight  home ! 
You've  no  business  running  lumber  for  a  living,  if  -you  own  an 
interest  in  that  property.  Your  fortune  is  made  I" 

The  information  thus  given,  proved  to  be  reliable,  for  the  first 
well  sank  upon  this  property,  produced  forty  barrels  per  day. 
This  Mr.  HYDE  learned  after  he  reached  Pittsburgh,  with  his 
lumber,  whither  he  went,  and  where  he  remained  superintending 
the  sale  and  delivery  of  his  stock,  until  all  was  disposed  of. 

During  the  winter  of  1860,  "  the  Hydetown  Oil  Company " 
was  organized,  Mr.  HYDE  subscribing  for  two  shares.  The  Com- 
pany had  leased  the  McClintock  farm,  from  Brewer,  Watson  & 
Co.  at  an  advance  of  royalty,  to  the  latter  Company.  The  Company 
— Mr.  Hyde  being  the  lessee  and  developer — commenced  opera- 
tions upon  the  property  early  in  1860, — completing  his  first  well 
to  the  depth  of  280  feet  during  the  summer  of  that  year.  A 
small  steam  engine  was  used  to  drill  the  well,  and  the  oil  they  ob- 
tained, was  "  second  sand  rock  "  product.  When  struck,  the  well 
began  to  flow  largely — 150  barrels — and  continued  to  produce  for 
nearly  a  year. 

Oil,  at  this  date,  was  a  "  drug  in  the  markets."  One  dollar  per 
barrel  was  paid  for  it,  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1860,  but  later 
in  the  season,  large  quantities  were  sold  at  thirty,  twenty,  ten,  and 
even  five  cents  per  barrel,  "  at  the  wells  !"  The  McClintock  farm 
development  as  well  as  the  Tidioute  investment,  were  of  course 
non-paying,  and  Mr.  HYDE  realized  little  or  nothing  from  either, 
during  1860,  or  1861. 

About  the  date  of  these  briefly  referred  to  oil  operations,  Mr. 
HYDE  turned  his  attention  to  individual  ventures.  He  obtained  a 
half  acre  lease  upon  the  Clapp  farm,  adjoining  the  McClintock 
farm,  and  during  the  summer  of  1860,  drilled  two  wells  upon  it. 
One  of  these,  at  the  date  mentioned,  was  the  deepest  well  drilled 
on  "the  Creek" — if  we  except  one  put  down  by  Jonathan  Watson, 
Esq.,  in  1865,  to  the  depth  of  2130  feet,  at  the  base  of  the  hill, 
where  Spring  Brook  comes  into  the  city  of  Titusville,  a  detailed 


356  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

statement  of  which  is  given  elsewhere — and  one  other  drilled  on 
the  Watson  flats,  in  1864,  to  the  depth  of  1,200  feet.  One  of  Mr. 
HYDE'S  wells,  was  put  down  to  the  depth  of  982  feet,  and  the 
other  was  675  feet  deep.  We  have  no  record  of  these  wells,  save 
that  given  from  recollection  by  Mr.  HYDE.  No  other  "sands"  were 
discovered  below  the  "  third,"  however,  and  this  was  found  at  the 
depth  of  456  feet.  "  Second  "  and  "third  sand5'  oil,  was  found, 
but  not  in  paying  quantities,  and  both  wells  were  shortly  after 
abandoned. 

The  "  Hyde  Town  Well,"  continued  to  flow  nearly  up  to  its 
first  year's  product,  through  the  winter  of  1861,  and  spring  of 
1862,  and  better  prices  were  realized  for  oil  in  the  Pittsburgh 
market.  Mr.  HYDE  had,  in  the  meantime,  engaged  quite  exten- 
sively in  the  purchase  and  shipment  of  the  staple,  in  flat-boats, 
barges,  barrels,  &c.,  to  that  point.  Upon  one  of  his  return  trips 
from  Pittsburgh,  in  the  spring  of  1862,  he  met  Dr.  A.  G.  Egbert, 
then  operating  in.  a  limited  way,  upon  the  widow  Davidson  farm, 
at  Petroleum  Centre.  Dr.  E.,  held  a  contract  for  the  purchase  of 
this  property,  and  in  the  course  of  the  interview  offered  to  dispose 
of  one  half  his  interest,  upon  what  he  termed  "  the  ground  floor." 
The  offer  was  accepted  by  Mr.  HYDE,  and  upon  the  following  day, 
the  transaction  was  completed,  and  the  widow  Davidson  farm 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Hyde  &  Egbert,  and  by  this  name  it  has 
been  known  ever  since.  The  fabulous  product  of  this  farm,  gave 
it  a  world-wide  notoriety,  and  brought  untold  wealth  to  its  fortu- 
nate owners.  Mr.  HYDE  paid  Dr.  Egbert,  $2,625  for  one  half  his 
interest  in  this  farm,  which  was  in  fee,  with  a  reservation  of  one- 
twelfth  of  the  oil  to  the  original  owner,  as  royalty. 

On  and  after  this  purchase  by  Mr.  HYDE,  we  may  safely  assume, 
he  began  his  career  as  one  of  the  largest  producers  of  "  the  Creek." 
He  spent  much  of  ^his  time  upon  the  farm,  superintending  its 
development,  and  having  a  general  care  of  the  valuable  interest  he 
had  acquired.  In  rapid  succession,  after  developments  began  in 
1862,  and  in  1863,  many  large  wells  were  obtained,  among  them, 


CHAKLES   HYDE.  357 

"The  Jersey  Well,"  "The  Maple  Shade,"  and  other  smaller 
"  flowers,"  the  product  of  which  aggregated,  in  cash  receipts,  many 
thousands  of  dollars  per  day.  Later,  in  1865,  "  The  Coquet  Well," 
and  half  a  dozen  others  of  less  product,  went  far  toward  doubling 
and  quadrupling  his  income  of  previous  years.  During  the  years 
1864,  and  1865,  there  were  TWENTY-THREE  FLOWING  WELLS 
upon  the  Hyde  and  Egbert  farm,  which  altogether  comprised  only 
about  forty  acres  of  land,  and  one-half  the  product  of  these 
"  flowers,"  and  nearly  as  many  good  pumping  wells,  went  to  swell 
the  immense  income  of  the  fortunate  owners. 

Details  of  the  development  of  this  wonderful  mine  of  wealth,  we 
know  would  be  interesting  to  the  general  reader,  but  we  have 
scarcely  room  for  them,  or  time  to  devote  to  their  rehearsal.  Very 
many  facts  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Hyde  and  Egbert 
farm  property,  are  given  in  other  chapters  of  this  work,  and  we 
leave  this  portion  of  Mr.  HYDE'S  personal  history,  with  the  single 
remark,  that  more  than  $3,000,000  was  gathered  into  the  coffers 
of  the  lucky,  and  we  may  add,  always  industrious  and  enterprising 
proprietors.  Mr.  HYDE  still  holds  his  original  interest  in  this 
property,  and  it  brings  him  in  a  small  monthly  revenue. 

"  The  Second  National  Bank  of  Titusville,"  was  organized  on 
the  llth  of  February,  1865,  with' a  capital  of  $100,000.  Mr.  HYDE 
was  the  principal  mover  in  the  enterprise,  and  became  a  subscriber 
to  its  stock  to  the  amount  of  $57,000.  At  its  organization  he  was 
unanimously  elected  President,  a  position  he  has  been  annually  re- 
elected  to  fill  ever  since. 

In  January,  1866,  the  capital  of  the  bank  was  increased 
$100,000,  without  an  increase  of  circulation.  In  December,  1867, 
the  charter  of  "The  First  National  Bank  of  Titusville,"  was  pur- 
chased, with  the  privilege  of  its  circulation.  This  institution  had 
a  capital  of  $100,000.  On  the  1st  of  September,  1871,  the  bank 
purchased  $100,000  of  the  capital  stock  of  "  The  First  National 
Bank  of  Meadville,"  and  thereupon  increased  its  capital  to 
$300,000. 


358  HISTORY  OP  PETROLEUM. 

In  all  these  additions  to  the  capital  stock  of  "  The  Second  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Titusville,"  Mr.  HYDE  has  maintained  his  position 
as  its  largest  stock  subscriber,  and  he  is  to-day  the  owner  of  about 
$170,000  of  its  capital.  "The  Second  National  Bank  of  Titus- 
ville," is  one  of  the  successful,  as  it  is  the  most  substantial  banking 
institution  in  the  oil  region,  or  indeed  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  In 
addition  to  the  large  ownership  of  stock  of  the  bank  named  above, 
Mr.  HYDE  has  on  deposit  with  the  Treasurer  of  the  United  States, 
$300,000  in  government  bonds,  his  own  personal  property,  left 
there  as  additional  security  to  bill  holders  and  creditors  of  the  in- 
stitution, of  any  and  every  character — should  it  be  required. 

In  1869,  Mr.  HYDE  became  largely  interested  in  real  estate  in- 
vestments at  Plainfield,  New  Jersey,  and  removed  thither  with  his 
family,  in  that  year,  in  order  to  give  to  the  enterprise  his  undivided 
attention.  Since  his  residence  at  Plainfield,  he  has  added  exten- 
sively to  his  landed  property,  and  has  now  under  the  highest  state 
of  cultivation,  three  or  four  hundred  acres  of  the  very  finest  lands 
in  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  Under  his  skillful  hand  these  have 
been  made  to  "  blossom  like  the  rose."  The  close  proximity  of 
this  large  body  of  land  to  the  city  of  Plainfield,  for  it  lays  just  out- 
side the  city  limits,  may  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  its  great  value. 
Upon  this  property  Mr.  HYDE  has  a  very  fine  private  residence, 
with  commodious  out-buildings,  carriage-houses,  etc.,  not  lavishly 
expensive  structures,  but  substantial,  and  in  entire  keeping  with  his 
good  taste,  and  ample  for  his  wants.  It  is  safe  to  say  Mr.  HYDE 
would  refuse  $350,000  for  this  property  alone.  The  city  of  Plain- 
field  has  a  population  of  quite  12,000,  is  admirably  situated,  and 
elaborately  laid  out.  It  is  a  city  of  very  many  magnificent  private 
residences,  owned  and  occupied  by  merchants,  manufacturers,  and 
professional  men,  as  well,  doing  business  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
Brooklyn,  Jersey  City,  etc.  Mr.  HYDE'S  residence,  and  grounds 
surrounding  it,  very  elaborately  laid  out,  containing  shrubbery, 
flower  gardens,  walks,  boating  pond,  fountain,  etc.,  are  all  within  the 
city  limits.  But  the  larger  portion  of  his  property,  contiguous  to 


CHARLES   HYDE.  359 

his  residence,  spreads  out  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  and  embraces 
about  400  acres  of  beautifully  located  lands,  which  are  mainly  used 
now  for  agricultural  purposes.  When,  four  years  since,  Mr.  HYDE 
came  into  possession  of  this  splendid  property,  the  lands  were 
exhausted,  and  nearly  valueless  for  farming  uses.  His  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  art  of  agriculture  here  found  ample  scope  for 
practice.  The  soil  has  been  greatly  enriched,  and  to-day,  every 
acre  of  it  is  as  productive  as  it  ever  was. 

The  management  of  this  property  absorbs  the  time  and  attention 
of  the  enterprising  owner.  It  is  soon  to  become  an  addition  to  the 
city  of  Plainfield,  and  already  streets  are  laid  out,  and  partially 
graded  through  its  ample  boundaries.  When  it  is  put  into  market, 
the  income  from  it  will  reach  a  fabulous  sum. 

CHAELES  HYDE  is  a  man  of  deeds,  and  not  of  words.  Of  modest 
deportment  and  reticent  manner,  he  is,  nevertheless,  a  gentleman 
of  solid  worth,  and  has  excellencies  of  character,  that  brighten  and 
become  more  and  more  prominent  and  evident  as  acquaintance 
and  association  familiarize  one  to  him.  One  of  his  chief  charac- 
teristics is  the  thorough  knowledge  he  has  of  his  own  business 
affairs,  and  the  scrupulous  exactness  with  which  he  devotes  his 
personal  attention  to  them.  Educated  in  the  practice  of  a  rigid 
economy,  he  maintains  the  same  careful,  judicious  conduct  of  his 
business  affairs  that  have  characterized  him  from  his  youth  up. 
Waste  and  extravagance  have  no  apologist  in  CHARLES  HYDE. 
He  lives  temperately,  walks  humbly,  and  deals  justly  by  all.  He 
pays  dollar  for  dollar  of  his  indebtedness,  and  pays  it  promptly  and 
cheerfully.  Plain  of  speecn,  and  plain  of  manner  and  dress,  he 
seems  at  home  in  the  drawing-room,  in  the  counting-room,  or  in 
the  harvest  field.  Honor,  honesty,  and  unblemished  integrity  are 
his,  by  a  life  of  practical  devotion  to  the  observance  of  these  vir- 
tues. He  is  just  in  the  vigor  of  his  manhood  and  the  years  of  his 
usefulness,  and  to  all  appearances,  has  before  him  a  lengthened 
lease  of  life,  which  we  doubt  not  will  be  marked  by  good  deeds, 
sure  to  bring  happiness  and  a  green  old  age. 


360  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


WILLIAM  H.  ABBOTT. 

TITUSVILLE,   PENNA. 

WILLIAM  HAWKINS  ABBOTT,  is  a  New  Englander  by  birth — • 
born  in  the  town  of  Middlebury,  New  Haven  County,  Connecticut, 
on  the  27th  day  of  October,  1814,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  a  family 
of  twelve  children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters.  His  father  was  an 
industrious,  thrifty  Connecticut  farmer,  and  from  him,  young  AB- 
BOTT, as  he  grew  to  boyhood,  and  merged  into  manhood,  imbibed 
and  practiced  those-  rare  virtues  of  integrity,  sobriety  and  honesty, 
that  have  been  his  shield  through  life.  During  his  early  years  he 
had  the  advantages  of  a  good  common  school  education,  embracing 
these  from  three  to  four  months  of  the  year ;  the  remaining  months 
were  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  father  in  the  conduct  of  the 
farm.  He  continued  in  the  discharge  of  these  duties  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  old,  when,  with  the  approval  of  his  father,  he  entered 
the  mercantile  establishment  of  Gen.  Hemmihgway,  at  Water- 
town,  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  as  a  salesman  and  clerk.  He  re- 
mained in  this  position  seven  years,  or  until  the  spring  of  1844, 
challenging  from  first  to  last  the  confidence  of  his  employer,  and  the 
public  as  well,  for  industry,  unquestioned  honesty  and  excellences 
of  both  head  and  heart. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  caught  what  was  then  known  as  the 
"  Western  Fever,"  and  removed  to  Newton  Falls,  Trumbull  Co., 
Ohio,  where  he  soon  after  entered  the  employ  of  Bronson  &  War- 
ren, then  largely  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business.  This 
position  he  held  for  one  year,  when  the  firm  dissolved  by  the  with- 
drawal of  Mr.  Warren^  and  the  substitution  of  Mr.  ABBOTT.  The 
firm  of  Bronson  &  Abbott  continued  another  year,  and  then  dis- 
solved, both  the  partners  continuing  business  separately.  A 
year  subsequent,  Mr.  ABBOTT  purchased  the  stock  and  business  of 


WILT  JAM  H.   ABBOTT.  361 

his  former  partner,  and  the  real  estate  of  Bronson  &  Warren,  and 
continued  the  enterprise  from  that  date,  1848,  upon  his  own  ac- 
count, until  1862. 

Of  course,  during  these  eighteen  years  of  mercantile  life,  there 
were  fluctuations  in  trade,  "ups  and  downs"  with  business-men, 
sudden  changes  in  values,  bank  panics,  bank  failures,  "  wild  cat " 
schemes  for  defrauding  the  public,  many  of  them  bountiful  successes, 
but  amidst  all  these,  and  above  and  beyond  them  all,  Mr.  ABBOTT 
maintained  an  unblemished  credit,  always  paying  one  hundred 
cents  upon  the  dollar  of  his  indebtedness. 

Few  merchants  of  fifteen  to  twenty  years' 'standing,  but  have  at 
one  time  or  another  encountered  the  embarrassments  and  dis- 
couragements incident  to  "  hard  times,"  "  no  trade,"  "  no  money," 
no  public  or  private  confidence.  All  these  were  the  experience  of 
Mr.  ABBOTT  in  the  conduct  of  his  large  and  yearly  increasing  busi- 
ness, but  he  surmounted  them  all,,  and  maintained  for  himself  an 
unsullied  repute  for  reliability  in  all  his  engagements,  promptness 
in  all  his  obligations,  and  integrity  of  an  unimpeachable  character 
in  his  intercourse  with  all. 

Early  in  February,  1860,  Mr.  ABBOTT  resolved  to  visit  the  oil 
region  of  western  Pennsylvania,  partly  from  curiosity,  but  mainly 
as  a  matter  of  business.  He  reached  Titusville  on  the  8th  of  Fe- 
bruary, 1860,  and  remained  only  a  portion  of  two  days.  He  visited 
the  only  oil  well  then  in  existence — "The  COLONEL  DRAKE" — 
which  had  been  producing  small  quantities  of  petroleum  for  some 
months,  and  at  a  glance  saw,  that  here  was  a  field  for  his  enterprise 
and  business  tact,  and  that  in  all  probability  untold  wealth  coursed 
through  the  rocks  beneath  him.  With  his  accustomed  promptness, 
he  purchased  one  half  of  the  one-quarter  interest  WILLIAM  BARNS- 
DALL  owned  in  the  James  Parker  farm,  upon  which  a  well  was 
then  going  down,  including  the  "Crossley  well"  and  lease,  to- 
gether with  a  like  interest  in  one  hundred  acres  leased  by  Mr. 
BARNSDALL,  at  Shreve  Rock,  all  lying  a  short  distance  below 
Titusville.  For  these  three  one-eighths,  in  three  different  tracts,  he 


362  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

paid  $10,000,  and  immediately  set  out  for  his  home  in  Ohio.  Two 
days  after  reaching  Newton  Falls,  he  received  information  that  a 
fifty-barrel  well  had  been  struck  on  the  Parker  farm  lease ! 

This  well  was  known  far  and  near  as  "The  Barnsdall  Well/' 
and  was  the  second  struck — the  "Colonel  Drake,"  completed  in 
August,  1859,  being  the  first.  This,  like  the  "Drake  well,"  was 
put  down  with  a  "  spring  pole,"  and  was  one  hundred  and  twelve 
feet  deep,  and  produced  about  fifty  barrels  per  day,  of  first  sand- 
rock  oil. 

Soon  after  receiving  this  news,  Mr.  ABBOTT  returned  to  Titusville, 
and  thence  proceeded  to  New  York,  with  a  view  to  making  a  mar- 
ket for  the  product  of  this  second  well.  Mr.  BOON  MEADE,  one 
of  the  owners  of  the  well  and  lease,  accompanied  him.  Mr.  Henry 
R.  Rouse,  afterward  burned  on  the  Buchanan  farm,  held  an  inter- 
est in  this  lease. 

Mr.  ABBOTT  while  in  New  York  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
George  M.  Mowbray,  then  as  now,  a  chemist  of  rare  acquirements, 
and  through  him,  obtained  an  introduction  to  the  extensive  Drug 
and  chemical  house  of  Shefflin,  Bros.  To  this  firm  he  sold  200 
barrels  of  oil  at  35  cents  per  gallon,  delivered  in  New  York.  This 
may  be  said  to  be  the  beginning  of  the  oil  trade  with  New  York 
city,  which  has  since  grown  into  such  enormous  proportions,  re- 
quiring millions  of  barrels  to  supply  the  demand  for  both  foreign 
and  domestic  consumption. 

This  oil  Mr.  ABBOTT  subsequently  shipped  to  New  York  in  old 
oil  barrels,  turpentine  barrels,  molasses  barrels,  whiskey  barrels, 
a  few  new  barrels,  and  indeed  every  conceivable  kind  of  barrel 
or  cask  that  promised  to  hold  its  oily  contents.  The  result  of  this 
shipment  proved  the  almost  utter  worthlessness  of  packages  of  this 
character  for  oil  shipments,  for  upon  reaching  their  destination, 
there  was  scarcely  a  barrel  but  had  leaked  and  wasted  from 
one-quarter  to  one-third  its  original  contents.  While  the  own- 
ers and  shippers  made  "a  good  sale,"  they  were  "handsomely 
short "  on  delivery ;  and  yet,  the  balances,  when  closed  up,  were 


WILLIAM   H.   ABBOTT.  363 

largely  in  their  favor.  One  thing,  however,  had  been  accom- 
plished— a  market  for  the  sale  of  petroleum  oil — and  this,  to  a 
man  of  Mr.  ABBOTT'S  enterprise,  was  an  ample  return  for  the  vexa- 
tions and  losses  attending  the  first  effort  to  bring  this  great  staple 
to  the  notice  of  commerce  and  commercial  men. 

Of  the  experiments  subsequently  made  by  and  through  Shefflin 
Bros.,  to  utilize  petroleum  and  make  it  serve  some  other  and  bet- 
ter purpose  than  that  to  which  it  had  theretofore  been  applied,  we 
will  not  stop  here  to  detail.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  experiments 
made  by  these  gentlemen  demonstrated  its  entire  adaptation  to  illu- 
minating purposes.  Of  course,  other  experiments  had  proven  this 
fact,  prior  to  this,  but  we  think  it  fair  to  assume  that  the  tests  and 
chemical  appliances  of  Shefflin  Bros.,  practically  settled  the  question 
of  refining  petroleum  oil  as  an  illuminator,  and  gave  to  the  world 
light  as  cheap  as  daylight.  What  a  change  has  all  this  wrought ! 
To-day,  refined  petroleum  illuminates  more  households  and  domes- 
tic hearths  upon  this,  and  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  wherever 
civilization  extends,  than  all  other  modes  combined. 

To  make  this  first  shipment  to  Shefflin  Bros.,  Mr.  ABBOTT  and 
his  partners  purchased  the  necessary  barrels,  in  and  about  Titus- 
ville,  "  teamed  "  them  to  the  "  Barnsdall  well,"  filled,  and  thence 
sent  them  across  the  country  by  wagon-loads,  to  Union,  on  the 
Atlantic  &  Great  "Western  Railway — a  distance  of  twenty-two 
miles.  The  cost  of  this  mode  of  transportation  varied,  depending 
wholly  upon  the  condition  of  the  roads.  When  "  wheeling  "  was 
good,  75  cents  per  barrel  was  the  ruling  price  from  Titus ville  to 
Union.  When  the  roads  were  "heavy"  $1  and  $1.25  was  paid — 
bringing  the  average  to  about  $1  per  barrel.  The  Railway  charges 
to  New  York  were  $1.56  per  barrel,  making  the  total  per  barrel, 
when  laid  down  in  New  York,  not  far  from  $4.  Had  the  pack- 
ages held  their  contents  safely,  this  first  large  shipment  must  have 
proved  very  profitable,  netting  the  owners  a  clear  margin  of  $2,000 
to  $2,250^  after  deducting  all  expenses.  As  it  was  they  realized  a 
handsome  sum,  and  were  far  from  being  discouraged  with  their 
first  venture. 


364  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

Very  many  of  the  subsequent  shipments  of  oil  to  the  sea  board 
by  Mr.  ABBOTT,  as  well  as  others — in  1861,  and  '62 — were  not  a 
source  of  profit.  Barrels  that  at  first  could  be  purchased  for  60 
and  70  cents  each,  were  now  worth  $1.50  and  $1.60,  and  they  were 
very  scarce  at  that  price.  Mr.  ABBOTT  bought  old  barrels,  how- 
ever, at  these  new  prices,  sent  them  by  teams  to  the  old  "Empire 
Well,"  on  the  Funk  Farm — then  the  largest  producing  well  on 
the  creek,  where  they  were  filled  at  25  cents  per  barrel,  and  re- 
turned in  like  manner  to  Titusville.  The  price  paid  for  this  team- 
ing was  50  cents  per  barrel,  the  round  trip.  Arrived  at  Titusville 
every  barrel  was  re-inspected,  hoops  tightened,  bungs  replaced  or 
re-driven,  and  then  reloaded  and  hauled  to  Union,  at  an  additional 
cost  of  75  cents  per  barrel.  The  general  depot  for  this  trans-ship- 
ment at  Titusville,  was  upon  the  grounds  now  occupied  by  the 
residences  of  Col.  Pitcher  and  Dr.  Barr,  on  Washington  street.  N 

We  have  said  these  subsequent  shipments  were  often  a  source  of 
expense  to  their  enterprising  projectors.  Mr.  ABBOTT  tells  us  of 
two  instances  ;  a  large  quantity  shipped  to  New  York,  about  this 
date,  when  sold  and  accounted  for,  involved  him  in  an  absolute  loss 
of  $1  per  barrel,  which  he  paid  to  close  the  account,  and  this  after 
furnishing  the  oil  and  barrels  gratis! 

In  the  fall  of  1860,  Mr.  ABBOTT,  having  associated  with  him  Mr. 
James  Parker  and  Mr.  William  Barnsdall,  commenced  the  erection 
of  the  first  Refinery  built  in  the  oil  regions.  Work  upon  this  new 
enterprise  was  begun  on  the  6th  of  November,  1860,  and  on  the 
22d  day  of  January  following — a  little  over  two  months  and  a 
half — the  fires  were  lit,  and  the  refining  of  oil  commenced  in  Titus- 
ville. The  cost  of  this  establishment,  with  subsequent  improve- 
ments, was  $15,000.  Mr.  ABBOTT  continued  his  connection  with 
the  enterprise  for  nearly  three  years,  with  moderate  profits,  the 
prices  of  oil  fluctuating,  so  remarkably  as  to  render  any  anticipation 
of  margins  upon  the  manufacture  of  refined,  extremely  doubtful, 
and  oftentimes  hazardous.  The  first  lot  of  crude — a  few  hundred 
barrels — run  through  their  new  works,  cost  $10  per  barrel,  and 


WILLIAM   H.   ABBOTT.  865 

before  this  was  put  upon  the  market,  and  realized  from,  crude  oil 
could  be  bought  at  $2  and  $2.50  per  barrel.  Of  course  the  prices 
of  refined  did  not  at  all  times  sympathize  with  the  fickleness  of  the 
"  crude  market,"  and  so  a  fair  profit  was  ordinarily  realized  upon 
the'manufactured  article. 

Mr.  ABBOTT  had  the  burden  of  the  labor  to  perform  in  the  erec- 
tion of  this  refinery,  and  indeed,  its  superintendence  and  manage- 
ment after  its  completion,  and  during  the  three  years  of  his  joint 
ownership.  The  boilers,  and  other  apparatus  and  machinery, 
were  purchased  at  Pittsburgh,  and  thence  shipped  "  by  river "  to 
Franklin  and  Oil  City.  Here  they  were  "dumped"  upon  the 
shore  af  low-water,  and  lay  in  that  condition  until  the  streams 
were  filled  from  bank  to  bank,  by  the  fall  rains,  and  when  with 
men  and  teams  they  sought  to  raise  them  from  their  watery  bed, 
almost  entirely  submerged,  it  was  found  to  be  an  almost  impossible 
task.  Two  teams,  with  a  full  complement  of  men,  made  the  jour- 
ney from  Titusville  to  Franklin,  charged  with  the  duty  of  raising 
these  boilers  from  the  water  and  transporting  them  to  their  desti- 
nation. They  came,  they  saw,  and  returned  as  empty  as  they 
came !  Subsequently,  Mr.  ABBOTT  personally  superintended  the 
work,  and  they  were  brought  out,  loaded,  and  in  four  days  from 
the  time  of  starting  were  on  the  ground  in  Titusville,  where  they 
were  put  to  the  uses  intended.  In  this  manner  all,  or  nearly  all 
the  machinery  for  this  new  undertaking  was  brought  to  Titusville. 

We  have  given  this  detailed  account  of  the  first  refining  enter- 
prise in  the  oil  region,  to  enable  the  general  reader  to  form  some 
idea  of  the  obstacles  and  embarrassments  men  of  enterprise  were 
forced  to  contend  with  in  the  early  years  of  the  discovery  of  Petro- 
leum. This  of  Mr.  ABBOTT'S  was  only  an  index  to  others,  bearing 
upon  the  business  interests  of  the  region.  In  1860-?61,  and  even 
into  1862,  nearly  everything  making  up  the  machinery  of  an  oil 
well — engines,  boilers,  drilling  tools,  cables,  &c.,  &c., — had  to  be 
transported  by  wagon,  from  the  railway  stations  at  Corry,  Union, 
Meadville,  &c.,  twenty  and  twenty-five  miles,  and  over  roads  that 


366  HISTORY   OF    PETROLEUM. 

at  times  were  absolutely  appalling  to  "  man  and  beast."  After  oil 
began  to  be  produced  in  large  quantities,  there  was  a  great  dearth 
of  barrels  for  transporting  it  from  the  wells  to  the  railroad  stations, 
and  thence  to  market.  To  meet  this  demand,  in  part  at  least,  Mr. 
ABBOTT  contracted  for  the  manufacture  of  large  quantities  of  barrels 
in  Ohio,  and  in  many  instances  sent  them  by  wagons,  eighty  to  ninety 
miles,  across  the  country  to  Titusville.  The  manufacture  of  this 
indispensable  article  was,  however,  soon  after  extensively  carried 
on  in  Titusville,  Mr.  ABBOTT  furnishing  a  large  amount  of  capital 
for  this  purpose. 

In  the  fall  of  1862,  Mr.  ABBOTT  added  another  branch  to  his 
already  extensive  business  interests — a  depot  for  the  sale  of  coal. 
He  laid  down  in  Titusville  the  first  car  load  brought  there,  him- 
self being  consignor,  consignee,  and  retail  dealer.  This  large 
supply,  for  such  it  was  for  that  day  and  the  locality,  was  sold  off  in 
small  lots  of  50  to  200  pounds,  to  such  as  were  willing  to  try  the 
experiment  of  its  use,  and  on  the  whole  Mr.  ABBOTT  regarded  the 
speculation  as  "  tolerably  remunerative."  He  continued  the  busi- 
ness thus  begun,  gradually  increasing  his  capital,  and  enlarging  his 
boundaries.  In  October,  1865,  he  leased  for  30  years  a  large  tract 
of  coal  lands,  partially  developed,  at  Greenville,  Mercer  County, 
Pa.,  and  continues  to  this  day  to  mine  and  ship  great  quantities  into 
the  oil  region  and  elsewhere. 

Of  the  fluctuations  in  the  price  of  crude  oil,  in  1860-'61-'62,  we 
may  as  well  speak  here,  and  to  say  they  were  remarkable,  is  hardly 
sufficient  to  give  the  reader  a  clear  comprehension  of  this  branch 
of  the  subject — they  were  wonderful — and  must  have  been  attended 
by  losses  of  thousands  and  thousands  of  dollars,  which  no  one 
positively  profited  by.  In  January  and  February,  1860,  as  we 
have  before  stated,  Mr.  ABBOTT  paid  $10  a  barrel  for  "crude," 
delivered  at  their  refinery — and  holders  did  not  care  to  sell  at 
these  figures  !  By  the  middle  of  March  and  April  following,  oil 
was  delivered  at  the  same  refinery  at  $1.25  per  barrel !  In  Octo- 
ber, 1862,  Howe  &  Nyce  purchased,  barreled,  and  had  stored  upon 


WILLIAM   H.   ABBOTT.  367 

the  first  platform,  erected  at  Titusville,  on  the  Oil  Creek  railway, 
500  barrels  of  crude  oil.  This  oil  Mr.  ABBOTT  purchased  at 
$2.62J,  including  packages,  and  with  a  guarantee  that  every  bar- 
rel contained  42  gallons.  Shortly  after,  this  lot  was  put  upon  the 
market  and  sold  for  $3  and  $3.50  per  barrel.  In  January  and 
February  following,  oil  was  sold  from  the  same  platform  by  Mr. 
ABBOTT  at  $12.50  and  $14  per  barrel,  and  before  the  middle  of 
March  following,  the  same  lot — for  it  had  not  been  moved — was 
sold  at  $8  per  barrel,  and  thirty  days  after,  the  market  price  at 
Titusville  was  $3  per  barrel !  These  transactions  involved  large 
amounts  of  money.  The  oil  bought  and  sold  was  usually  in  round 
lots  of  1,000  to  5,000,  and  even  10,000  barrels,  and  destined  to 
eastern  markets.  "While,  therefore,  the  original  producer  often- 
times received  fabulous  prices,  the  purchasers  were  generally  the 
victims.  At  the  time  these  extravagant  figures  were  being  realized 
by  producers,  a  few,  one  at  least,  known  to  the  writer  of  this  sketch, 
was  dealing  out  one  hundred  barrels  per  day,  at  40  cents  per  barrel ! 
When  the  great  flowing  wells  on  the  Funk  farm  — "  lower 
McEllhenney" — were  struck,  the  old  "Empire,"  producing  3000 
barrels  per  day,  and  the  "  Fountain  well,"  pouring  out  400  barrels, 
Mr.  Funk,  senior,  contracted  to  deliver  to  Mr.  Chas.  A.  Dean,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  one  hundred  barrels  of  oil  per  day  for  five  years, 
at  40  cents  per  barrel !  This  contract  was  actually  entered  into, 
and  the  letter  of  it  lived  up  to  by  Mr.  Funk  through  two  years  of 
its  existence!  But  the  contractor  became  greedy.  He  was  not 
satisfied  with  ordinary  barrels  of  40  to  42  gallons  capacity,  but 
would  furnish  casks  and  tierces,  and  almost  hogsheads,  holding 
fifty,  sixty,  and  as  high  as  sixty-five  gallons,  and  demanded  to  have 
these  filled  and  counted  as  barrels  !  To  this  extraordinary  crafti- 
ness Mr.  A.  P.  Funk,  then  in  charge  of  his  father's  affairs,  mildly 
objected,  and  finally  flatly  refused  to  submit.  The  contractor  ap- 
plied to  the  courts  for  relief,  and  the  courts  in  turn  declared  the 
contract  forfeited! 

Mr,  ABBOTT  became  interested  in  the  development  of  oil  and  oil 


368  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

lands,  early  in  1860.  From  that  time  until  the  present,  more  than 
twelve  years,  this  connection  has  been  constant  and  always  promi- 
nent, both  as  a  producer,  a  refiner,  and  a  buyer  and  seller  of  oil.  In 
the  spring  of  1863,  he  purchased  from  S.  S.  Fertig,  Esq.,  a  one- 
eighth  "  free"  interest  in  the  famous  "  Noble  Well,"  then  producing 
2,500  barrels  per  day,  and  paid  for  it  the  princely  sum  of  $27,500 ! 
Many  of  Mr.  ABBOTT'S  friends  regarded  the  amount  paid  as  exor- 
bitant, but  it  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  oil  investments  of  his  life. 
He  realized  his  money  thrice  over,  and  never  regarded  the  specula- 
tion as  at  all  hazardous  or  doubtful.  The  owners  of  the  "  Noble 
Well,"  soon  after  Mr.  ABBOTT  purchased  his  interest,  determined 
to  buy  out  the  "  Caldwell  Well,"  located  a  short  distance  from  their 
own,  fearing  it  would  injure  the  flow  of  the  "Noble  Well."  They  did 
purchase  it,  paying  for  it  the  extraordinary  sum  of  $145,000 !  The 
well  was  producing,  when  they  came  in  possession  of  it,  about  400 
barrels  per  day.  Mr.  ABBOTT,  as  did  the  other  owners,  paid  cheer- 
fully his  one-eighth  of  the  sum  required  to  purchase  the  "  Caldwell 
Well,"  and  deemed  it  a  bargain  at  that.  The  owners  of  the  "Cald- 
well Well,"  had  they  held  their  property  forty-eight  hours  longer, 
would  have  been  paid  as  cheerfully  $200,000 ! 

In  June,  1867,  Mr.  ABBOTT  formed  a  co-partnership  in  Pipe 
Line  interests,  and  the  general  transaction  of  the  oil  trade,  with 
Mr.  Henry  Harley,  who  had  just  completed  his  Pipe  Line  from 
Benninghoff  Run  to  Shaffer  Farm.  Mr.  ABBOTT  had,  previous  to 
this  date,  purchased  the  Pipe  Line  from  Pit  Hole  to  Miller  Farm, 
and  was  operating  it  successfully.  The  consolidation  of  these  two 
Pipe  Lines  was,  thenceforward,  a  substantial  success  in  every  way — 
Mr.  ABBOTT'S  judicious  management  contributing  largely  to  this 
result.  From  that  day  to  this  he  has  been  identified  with  this  en- 
terprise, giving  to  it  his  large  experience  and  comprehensive  busi- 
ness tact,  which  have,  gone  far  to  render  it  not  only  remunerative 
to  its  stock  owners,  but  a  source  of  incalculable  convenience  to  oil 
producers,  as  well  as  shippers  and  refiners,  and  all  others  interested, 
near  or  remote,  in  this  great  staple.  Out  of  this  first  pipe  line  en- 


WILLIAM   H.   ABBOTT.  369 

terprise  has  grown  up  many  others,  in  various  parts  of  the  oil  re- 
gion, from  Parker's  Landing,  St.  Petersburg,  and  the  lower  river 
country,  up  to,  and  including  Titusville  and  points  contiguous  to  it. 
The  history  of  this  first  Pipe  line  is  given  so  fully  in  the  sketch  of 
Mr.  Henry  Harley,  elsewhere  in  these  pages,  that  we  deem  further 
reference  to  it,  in  this  connection,  as  only  a  repetition.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  "  The  Pennsylvania  Transportation  Co."  now  represents  a  ca- 
pital invested  of  nearly  $2,000,000, — it  has  over  400  miles  of  pipe, 
stretching  its  iron  lengths  at  every  point  where  it  may  be  required, 
from  Titusville,  Miller  and  Shaffer  Farms,  Petroleum  Centre  and 
Gregg's  Switch,  over  the  mountains  to  Shamburg,  Red  Hot,  Plea- 
santville,  Trunkeyville,  Fagundas,  Triumph,  Tidioute,  Colorado, 
and  Enterprise,  including  a  delivery  at  Siverly  and  Oil  City.  It 
has,  besides,  immense  platforms  and  conveniences  for  railway  deli- 
very at  all  stations  on  the  Oil  Creek  and  Allegany  River  Rail 
Road,  where  connections  are  made,  and  maintains  tankage  capacity, 
at  various  points,  of  quite  300,000  barrels.  This  vast  interest  has 
been  brought  to  its  present  magnitude  and  its  conceded  remune- 
rative basis  by  and  through  the  rare  ability  and  wise  foresight  of 
Mr.  ABBOTT  and  his  partner,  Mr.  HARLEY. 

In  the  Summer  of  1865,  "The  Titusville  and  Pit-Hole  Plank 
Road  Company "  was  organized,  and  its  construction  soon  after 
entered  upon.  It  was  completed  in  the  winter  of  1866.  Mr. 
ABBOTT,  Colonel  F.  W.  Ames,  Col.  Oliver  Keese,  and  S.  Q. 
Brown,  of  Pleasantville,  were  its  projectors,  furnishing  from  sixty 
to  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  capital  required  for  its  completion.  It  was 
an  important  work  to  the  region  traversed,  and  went  far  toward 
opening  the  .country  to  oil  development,  lying  between  Titusville, 
Pleasantville  and  the  then  great  oildorado  of  the  oil  region — Pit 
Hole.  It  cost  $200,000,  and  more  than  two-thirds  of  this  sum  was 
advanced  by  the  gentleman  we  have  named. 

Union  and  Titusville  Railroad  Company. 

"The  Oil  Creek  and  Titusville    Mining   and   Transportation 
Company/'  was  granted  a  charter  in  April,  1865,  authorizing  the 
24 


370  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

construction  of  a  railroad  from  Titusville  to  Union.  James  Sill, 
E.  H.  Chase,  Jno.  W.  Douglass,  H.  C.  Rogers,  Charles  Burnham, 
Joseph  Sill,  A.  C.  Bloomfield,  and  James  D.  Smith  were  appointed 
commissioners,  under  the  act  of  incorporation,  "  to  open  books,  re- 
ceive subscriptions,  and  organize  a  company  to  construct  a  railway 
from  and  to  the  points  named."  The  capital  stock  of  the  company 
was  fixed  at  $500,000.  In  April,  1866,  a  supplemental  act  was 
passed  by  the  legislature  authorizing  the  directors  to  reduce  the 
capital  stock  to  such  amount  as  they  deemed  proper.  On  the  17th 
of  April,  1866,  at  a  meeting  of  the  directors,  held  at  Union,  the 
corporate  name  of  the  company  was  changed  to  "The  Union  and 
Titusville  Railroad  Company."  In  June  1867,  the  Company  mort- 
gaged its  property,  real  and  personal,  to  secure  $150,000  of  bonds 
to  be  used  in  its  construction.  Subsequently,  in  1868,  there  being 
default  in  the  payment  of  interest  upon  these  bonds,  the  trustees 
named  in  the  mortgage,  by  due  course,  sold  the  property  of  the 
company,  its  privileges  and  franchises,  at  public  sale,  at  the  office  of 
Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  to  E.  Cooper  and  J.  C.  Frisbee, 
and  executed  to  them  a  deed  of  the  entire  property.  What  amount 
of  money  had  been  expended  upon  this  work  to  this  date,  is  not 
fully  known.  Certain  it  is  that  the  new  organization  availed  them- 
selves of  but  a  small  portion  of  what  had  been  done.  In  the  con- 
dition here  indicated,  Mr.  ABBOTT  found  the  enterprise  in  1870, 
and  comprehending  its  great  importance  to  the  city  of  Titusville, 
and  the  oil  fields  adjacent,  resolved  upon  its  immediate  building. 
He  associated  with  himself  a  few  gentlemen  of  known  enterprise, 
and  on  the  2d  day  of  July,  1870,  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders 
was  held  at  the  McHenry  House,  Meadville,  and  upon  a  full  con- 
sultation, it  was  determined  to  go  on  with  the  work.  The  follow- 
ing board  of  directors  was  thereupon  elected : 

W.  H.  ABBOTT,^ Jno.  Fertig,  D.  H.  Cady,  P.  H.  Stranahan, 
W.  R.  Davenport,  Henry  Harley  and  J.  S.  Casement.  Mr.  AB- 
BOTT was  subsequently  elected  President,  and  I).  T.  Casement 
Secretary  and  Treasurer. 


WILLIAM  H.   ABBOTT.  371 

Subscription  books  were  promptly  opened,  based  upon  the  pledge 
that  Titusville  should  take  $250,000,  and  the  balance,  sufficient  to 
complete  the  work,  was  to  be  subscribed  by  the  Casement  Brothers, 
the  contractors.  Upon  this  basis  the  contract  was  let  to  the  Case- 
ment Brothers,  and  work  was  begun  in  August,  1870.  The  sub- 
scriptions to  the  capital  stock  by  citizens  of  Titusville  fell  far  short 
of  Mr.  ABBOTT'S  anticipations,  but  rather  than  the  enterprise 
should  fail,  Messrs.  ABBOTT  &  HARLEY,  in  addition  to  their  al- 
ready large  pledge  of  $50,000,  subscribed  $66,000  more,  making 
in  all  $116,000,  to  this  important  work.  All  this  was  the  labor  of 
but  a  few  days,  for  within  one  month  after  Mr.  ABBOTT  had  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  enterprise,  the  contracts  were  let  and  work 
actually  begun.  Thenceforward,  the  construction  of  this  important 
road  was  prosecuted  with  great  rapidity,  and  on  the  28th  of  Fe- 
bruary (1871,)  following,  it  was  opened,  and  the  first  train  of  cars 
passed  over  it,  bearing  freight  and  passengers. 

Mr.  ABBOTT'S  connection  with,  the  undertaking,  illustrates  as 
completely  as  anything  we  could  assert,  his  character  as  a  business 
man.  He  entered  upon  the  enterprise  with  no  such  word  as  fail 
within  hailing  distance  of  him.  When  the  public  interest  flagged, 
he  put  the  whole  weight  of  his  personal  and  financial  character 
upon  it,  and  it  went  through  to  completion.  It  was  the  first  en- 
terprise of  this  nature,  Mr.  ABBOTT  had  identified  himself  promi- 
nently with,  and  he  resolved  it  should  not  fail,  even  if  it  involved 
the  last  dollar  of  his  means. 

The  road  opened  in  February,  1871,  but  its  progress  was  not 
marked  with  that  measure  of  success  so  confidently  anticipated.  Its 
rival  route,  the  Oil  Creek  and  A.  V.  R.  Road,  competed  for  both 
freight  and  passengers,  and  many  of  the  heavy  freighting  houses  of 
Titusville,  renewed  their  contracts  with  the  latter  road,  at  reduced 
rates.  The  result  is  easily  foretold — the  Union  and  Titusville  road 
did  not  receive  the  traffic  it  had  a  right  to  anticipate,  if  not  absolutely 
claim.  This  state  of  things  continued  through  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer of  '71,  and  in  September,  the  majority  of  the  stock  and  bond- 


372  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

holders  of  the  road  entered  into  negotiations  for  a  transfer  of  the  en- 
tire work  to  the  Oil  Creek  and  Allegany  Eiver  Rail  Road.  This 
consummation  Mr.  ABBOTT  opposed  from  the  start,  and  continued 
his  opposition,  with  all  the  power  and  resources  at  his  command, 
to  the  last.  At  a  meeting  of  the  directors,  at  which  a  large  majority 
of  the  stock  and  bonds  were  represented,  the  proposition  was  carried 
over  Mr.  ABBOTT'S  voice  and  vote.  From  the  commencement  he 
had  devoted  all  his  energies  and  time  to  this  work  without  "  fee  or 
reward."  He  proposed  to  continue  his  services  without  emolu- 
ment, if  the  road  was  retained  by  its  then  owners,  and  give  to  it 
all  the  ability  he  possessed  to  render  it  a  success  financially.  But 
all  to  no  purpose.  The  contract  was  consummated,  and  the  road 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  O.  C.  &  A.  V.  R.  R.,  under  a  lease, 
having  reservations  protecting  the  interests  of  the  business  men  of 
Titusville.  When  Mr.  ABBOTT  connected  himself  with  this  enter- 
prise the  Oil  Creek  Road  were  charging  §17  a  car,  for  freight  to 
Corry,  and  60  cents  per  barrel  for  oil.  Immediately  thereafter 
this  rate  was  reduced  to  §15  per  car  and  30  cents  per  barrel,  and 
just  before  the  completion  of  the  road  the  price  per  car,  was  reduced 
to  §10.  The  same  liberal  policy  as  to  coal  and  all  other  freights 
was  granted  by  this  rival  route,  the  advantages  of  which  are  still 
realized  by  citizens  of  Titusville  and  the  country  adjacent. 

Notwithstanding  this  plain  statement,  every  word  of  which  can 
be  verified  by  incontestable  proof,  there  are  those  who  assume  to 
believe  that  Mr.  ABBOTT  transferred  his  interest  in  this  railway 
undertaking  at  a  considerable  profit  upon  his  investment !  The 
writer  of  this  knows  whereof  he  speaks,  and  asserts  without  fear  of 
contradiction,  that  the  balance  was  largely  against  Mr.  ABBOTT, 
amounting  to  many  thousands  of  dollars.  Even  this  loss  did  not 
shake  his  confidence  in  the  ultimate  success  of  the  road.  His  proposal 
to  add  to  his  alreadyjieavy  liability  to  the  interest,  coupled  with  an 
offer  to  discharge  the  duties  of  chief  executive  officer  of  the  corpo- 
ration, gratis,  until  success  was  attained,  is  proof  of  his  devotion 
to  its  interests,  and  positive  evidence  of  his  entire  confidence  in  its 


WILLIAM   II.    ABBOTT.  373 

ultimate  value  as  an  investment,  both  for  himself  and  associates, 
and  to  the  city  of  his  adoption. 

A  man  of  the  prominence  of  WILLIAM  H.  ABBOTT,  identified 
with  almost  every  public  enterprise  that  has  engaged  the  attention 
of  the  men  of  the  oil  region  during  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years, 
affords  an  almost  exhaustless  field  of  interesting  facts  for  a  sketch, 
of  the  character  of  which  this  work  is  in  part  made  up.  We  have 
given  enough  we  apprehend  of  the  leading  incidents  of  his  history 
to  indicate  the  true  character  and  real  worth  of  the  man.  Indeed, 
it  seems  to  be  labor  lost  to  assert  that  he  is  a  man  above  reproach, 
and  without  spot  or  blemish,  either  as  a  public  or  private  citizen. 
In  all  his  relations  he  is  exemplary,  acting  always  upon  his  con- 
victions, based  upon  a  broad  and  comprehensive  view  of  life,  its 
duties  and  its  responsibilities.  His  generosity  and  liberality  are 
known  of  all  men.  An  instance  of  this  will  suffice.  A  year  or 
two  since — at  a  Sabbath  School  celebration  of  St.  James'  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  Mr.  A.  is  a  consistent  communicant,  and  has  oc- 
cupied the  position  of  Senior  Warden  for  many  years — the  necessity 
for  a  mission  branch  of  the  church,  to  be  located  in  another  part 
of  the  city  of  Titusville,  was  brought  to  his  attention.  The  lot  had 
been  partly  secured.  Mr.  A.,  with  his  accustomed  promptness, 
said — "  Secure  your  lot,  and  I  will  build  your  chapel  at  my  own 
expense,  and.  upon  the  plan  you  have  submitted  !  "  The  lot  was 
purchased,  and  Mr.  ABBOTT  immediately  began  and  completed  the 
church  edifice  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000.  Soon  after,  Bishop  Ker- 
foot  visited  Titusville,  and  the  little  mission  church  was  dedicated 
with  due  solemnity,  and  is  to-day  an  important  auxiliary  in  the 
work  of  educating  the  young  in  its  immediate  locality  up  to  a  cor- 
rect standard  of  Christian  duty  and  Christian  responsibility. 

Mr.  ABBOTT  is  a  man  of  quick  perceptions  and  rapidity  of 
thought  and  action.  With  him  it  is  "yes"  or  "no,"  and  this 
promptly  and  without  apparent  reflection — and  yet  he  thinks  pro- 
foundly. His  "yes"  has  cost  him  thousands  and  thousands  of 
dollars,  and  his  "  no  "  has  been  but  a  slight  source  of  revenue  to 


374  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

him !  A  good  man,  ever  cultivating  and  acting  from  the  noblest 
impulses,  he  is  doubtless  often  imposed  upon ;  but  he  never  permits 
the  opportunity  to  escape  to  give  bountifully  to  charitable  objects 
appealing  to  him.  Honorable  in  the  fullest  and  broadest  sense 
of  the  word,  he  has  little  charity  for  those  whose  practices  do  not 
come  up  to  this  standard.  Proverbially  he  is  a  man  of  enlarged 
liberality,  and  gives  with  an  open  hand,  and  with  none  other  than 
a  desire  to  do  good.  As  a  man  of  business  he  is  prompt,  thorough 
and  reliable  under  all  circumstances.  As  a  financier  he  is  far-see- 
ing and  rarely  mistaken  in  his  convictions.  As  President  of  the 
Citizens'  Bank  of  Titusville,  he  is  estimated  at  his  real  worth,  for 
he  has  given  to  that  institution  very  much  of  the  success  and  finan- 
cial solidity  that  has  marked  its  history  in  the  nearly  three  years 
of  its  existence.  As  a  citizen  he  is  foremost  in  all  enterprises  cal- 
culated to  add  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city  of  his  home. 
As  a  neighbor  he  is  obliging — generosity  and  kindness  characteriz- 
ing his  intercourse  with  all.  In  his  domestic  life  he  is  a  model  of 
indulgence  and  excellence,  and  in  all  his  worldly  intercourse  a  pat- 
tern and  example  for  the  young  about  him,  as  well  as  those  of  ma- 
turer  years. 

Few  communities  can  boast  better  men  than  WILLIAM  H.  AB- 
BOTT. His  daily  life  illustrates  his  worth  and  illumines  his  path- 
way in  his  declining  years.  Universally  respected,  he  bears  about 
him  those  real  elements  of  an  unblemished  manhood,  sure  to  be  ho- 
nored and  beloved  as  age  and  infirmity  creep  upon  him.  Let  us 
hope  he  may  be  spared  many  years  of  health  and  vigor,  and  be  enabled 
to  fill  up  the  measure  of  his  usefulness,  reaching  the  fate  of  us  all, 
".  like  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe," — ripe  in  those  manly  virtues 
now  so  bountifully  possessed — ripe  in  the  practice  of  the  nobler 
emotions  of  the  human  heart— ripe  in  the  assurance  of  a  well-spent 
life — ripe  in  "  the  Christian's  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality." 


WToodbunrtvpe.    A.  P.  K.  P.  Co..  Phil: 


ORANGE    NOBLE. 


NOBLE. 


VR.A.XGK  N'OBJLM 


OICAXGE  \(>Bi  i?  ?.<       iutlve  0.1   i  i«-  Sti.i'?  uf  New  York.  >  or;?,  in 
'.Vhitc-hiiiL.   U'uvLngton   G"umy,  on  tbc  2?lh  (hy  of    'M<PI.  13i<\ 
H<>  was  iLu-  «ld;>.t    .fa  (amily  olV-/en  <'hiJ.")p--n,  tiy.;        .-if ...   >  u:  I 
i.".-7  .r-.o*is.f     liko  iati-^r  vvjs  -i,  iar!«!v:  oi  liuii*1^  .    •«!..•,  r-u     >;  v/i:-!f\y 
•  uul  indu^t-ious  habits,    lit;  o\;u  -ii  a  .si-iiri  ;  •'•••  :i  i«.  L. 
^''-.itt-  oi'  .Ne-v  Y«-rl  ,  ai;d  ouJtivrat«xi  it  wirh 
r<iarn»£    a    Ltr^e    family   from,    it;   pr^:u« -.•-,. 

;-\ri« 


i.    :>-S    O!    (IK 

•?f  '  "-r  .i   ws.'-tjv-i   rfiucaiion  \\ 
n  -utlis  of  sou-n>Ljig  in  oa-- 

he  :^Mijsod  tno  age  of  ii'u^a.      \i  tl;is  a^  h-4.  couc.-:%-<  J   tu. 

i -if  ./minima  a  cattle  dealer,  alifj  iinpommed  his  fui  •  r  from 

:<in?:  r  >  timi  to  bid  biin  in  his  i-M'i»  sr.trwp.     The  lather  <r    -   srn^c-i 

:;ad  spout -fviH>  .;:.-.!  NViio  were  vrt  ,.,'xn-I 

tttxitaj  nothing  >j-   !:<:•:  :JV.  t, -^^  ^  ^),.-. 


at  - 


ORANGE   NOBLE.  377 

and  soon  after  leased  a  farm,  and  began  his  career  as  an  agricul- 
turist, in  connection  with  his  cattle  traffic.  Two  years  later  he 
purchased  a  small  farm,  agreeing  to  pay  $2,200  for  it.  The  terms 
of  payment  were  somewhat  remarkable.  There  was  a  small  sum 
paid  down,  and  the  balance  was  to  be  liquidated  in  annual  install- 
ments, running  twenty-five  years !  Mr.  NOBLE,  however,  did  not 
avail  himself  of  all  the  liberality  extended  to  him,  but  gradually 
lessened  his  indebtedness,  and  before  the  close  of  the  FIFTH  year 
had  paid  the  last  dollar  of  his  bond,  and  received  his  deed. 

He  continued  to  live  upon  this  farm — to  which  he  added  by  pur- 
chase 60  acres — until  the  fall  of  1851,  when  he  sold  it  at  an  ad- 
vance from  the  price  originally  paid,  having  determined  to  remove 
into  western  Pennsylvania.  After  the  sale  of  his  farm,,  for  which 
he  received  about  one-half  cash  in  hand,  and  the  sale  of  his  stock, 
crops,  &c.,  he  was  enabled  to  count  his  worldly  wealth  in  ready 
capital,  at  $5,000. 

During  his  fourteen  years'  business  operations,  he  had  been  a  re- 
gular depositor  and  patron  of  the  old  "  BANK  OF  WHITEHALL," 
always  one  of  the  most  substantial  banking  institutions  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  His  loans  and  discounts  had  not  been  large, 
but  they  were  regular,  and  he  had  never  permitted  a  note  made  by 
himself  to  go  to  protest.  He  paid  promptly,  and  the  officers  of 
the  bank  were  always  ready  to  take  his  notes,  even  when  others  of 
more  reputed  wealth  were  denied.  A  single  fact  will  serve  to  il- 
lustrate the  estimate  put  upon  him  by  "  THE  WHITEHALL  BANK." 
When  he  came  to  draw  the  balance  due  him  from  the  bank,  prepa- 
ratory to  his  removal  West,  the  officers  paid  him  $3,500  in  a  new 
issue  just  then  being  signed,  and  every  note  was  made  payable  to 
"ORANGE  NOBLE,  OR  BEARER."  This  was  a  distinction  few  cus- 
tomers of  a  bank  had  awarded  them,  but  Mr.  NOBLE  had  it  ex- 
tended to  him,  and  at  the  same  time  the  gratulations  and  commen- 
dations of  the  officers  of  the  bank. 

In  the  regular  transaction  of  his  business  through  the  country, . 
it  was  his  custom  to  give  checks  upon  the  BANK  of  WHITEHALL 


378  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

for  his  purchases.  These  checks  ordinarily,  would  not  reach  the 
bank  until  after  his  own  return  home.  There  were  occasions,  how- 
ever, when  the  checks  preceded  him,  and  not  unfrequently  his  ac- 
count was  overdrawn,  $500  to  $1,000,  and  once  or  twice  $2,000. 
But  the  bank  paid  them  as  freely  as  if  he  had  $50,000  on  deposit ! 

In  the  Spring  of  1852,  Mr.  NOBLE  removed  with  his  family  to 
Randolph,  Crawford  County,  Peuna.  Soon  after  reaching  his 
destination,  he  purchased  two  or  three  farms,  in  all  four  hundred 
acres  of  land,  and  settled  down  to  its  cultivation,  adding  the  old 
business  of  his  earlier  years,  the  buying  and  selling  of  cattle.  He 
purchased  mainly  young  stock  of  the  better  sort,  and  raised  them 
for  teaming  and  farming  purposes.  He  furnished  better  cattle  thaa 
could  be  found  elsewhere  in  the  region  of  his  residence,  and  always 
commanded  higher  prices,  because  of  their  excellence  and  superiority 
in  all  respects. 

In  the  Spring  of  1855,  he  entered  into  co-partnership  in  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  trade,  with  Hon.  GEO.  B.  DELEMATER,  the  late 
State  Senator  from  the  Crawford  district,  then  a  resident  of  Townville. 
He  was  at  this  time  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  "  Shooks"  for 
the  eastern  markets,  and  had  built  extensively  for  the  conveniences 
of  his  increased  and  increasing  business.  In  the  Spring  of  1856, 
the  "shook"  manufactory  was  added  to  the  mercantile  enterprise, 
and  the  capacity  of  the  former  largely  increased.  At  times  during 
the  following  three,  four  and  five  years  of  this  mechanical  enter- 
prise they  employed  from  sixty  to  eighty  men,  in  the  manufacture 
of  "shooks,"  and  after  the  discovery  of  oil,  in  making  barrels  for 
that  trade.  The  firm  continued  their  mercantile  and  manufactur- 
ing operations  up  to  the  fall  of  1863,  some  months  after  the  famous 
"Noble  well"  was  struck. 

The  assertion  is  often  made,  that  when  Mr.  NOBLE,  and  his 
partner  Mr.  DELEMATER,  commenced  their  oil  developments,  or 
rather  when  they  struck  the  "  Noble  well,"  both  were  poor,  and 
were  largely  in  debt.  This  is  very  far  from  the  truth.  Their 
business  connection  had  been  successful  in  every  direction.  They 


ORANGE   NOBLE.  379 

had  by  their  industry  and  a  careful  conduct  of  their  affairs,  accumu- 
lated a  handsome  property,  and  owed  no  man  a  dollar,  they  could 
not  liquidate  at  sight.  When  they  began  their  operations  in  1859- 
60,  in  the  oil  region,  the  firm  was  worth  in  round  numbers  $50,000. 
It  is  proper  to  state  this  fact  here,  and  now,  that  assertions  to  the 
contrary  may  be  set  at  rest. 

In  October,  1859,  or  within  a  few  weeks  of  the  striking  of  the 
"  Drake  well,"  Mr.  NOBLE,  in  company  with  Mr.  Delemater,  and 
Mr.  L.  L.  Lamb, — visited  Titusville  with  no  other  purpose  than  to 
see  for  themselves  the  wonderful  phenomena  of  "  pumping  oil  out 
of  the  ground."  A  neighbor  of  Mr.  NOBLE'S,  who  had  visited  the 
well,  was  rehearsing  its  remarkable  operations — "  pumping  water 
and  Seneca  oil  in  large  quantities," — and  descanting  upon  the 
"visitation,"  rather  forcibly.  "You  tell  that  story  very  well;  one 
would  think  you  believed  it  yourself!"  said  Mr.  NOBLE,  after 
listening  to  a  rehearsal  of  the  facts.  "  And  they  are  facts,"  said 
the  informant.  "  I  was  there  and  saw  it  with  my  own  eyes!"  But 
Mr.  NOBLE  could  hardly  credit  the  statement,  and  he  did  not. 
Subsequently,  he  talked  privately  with  this  man,  who  had  seen  the 
strange  phenomena,  and  was  more  than  half  induced  to  give  his 
statement  credence.  He  resolved  to  see  it  for  himself,  and  a  few 
days  after  the  interview  referred  to,  Mr.  NOBLE,  Mr.  Delemater, 
and  Mr.  Lamb,  set  out  from  Townville,  twelve  miles  distant  from 
Titusville,  to  visit  this  "well  in  the  rocks,"  which  was  reported  to 
be  sending  forth  "  Seneca  oil "  in  fabulous  quantities.  All  these 
gentlemen  were  disbelievers  in  the  report  that  had  sent  them  upon 
this  journey  of  inspection.  Mr.  NOBLE  looked  upon  it  as  an  utterly 
impossible  thing;  a  sort  of  half  fact  and  half  hoax,  which  only  a 
visit  would  dispel  or  confirm.  The  party  reached  the  "Drake 
well,"  late  in  the  day,  in  October,  1859,  and  were  convinced,  as 
well  as  confounded.  The  idea  of  pumping  so  valuable  a  commo- 
dity as  "  Seneca  oil,"  an  article  of  rare  medicinal  value,  from  the 
ground,  struck  them  with  amazement.  There  it  was,  however, 
and  the  fact  could  not  be  gainsaid.  They  remained  about  the  well 


380  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

for  some  hours,  and  when  finally  they  set  out  for  home,  little  else 
was  talked  of  but  this  wonderful  development. 

Before  reaching  their  homes  they  had  practically  organized  an 
Oil  Company,  to  which  Mr.  NOBLE  and  Mr.  Delemater  each  con- 
tributed $3,000,  and  Mr.  Lamb  $2,000.  Mr.  NOBLE  was  deputed 
to  return  without  delay  to  "the  Creek,"  and  secure  leases,  and 
make  arrangements  for  putting  down  one  or  more  wells.  In  pur- 
suance of  this  hurriedly  organized  effort,  Mr.  NOBLE  went  to 
Titusville,  and  secured  his  first  lease,  upon  the  Staekpole  farm, 
below  the  "Drake  well."  His  next  lease  was  upon  the  Jones 
farm,  in  the  vicinity  of  Miller  Farm.  Derricks  were  erected,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1 860,  a  well  was  drilled  with  a  spring-pole  upon 
each  of  these  farms.  Both  were  dry  holes !  Later  in  the  summer 
of  1860,  he  secured  a  lease  of  seven  acres  on  the  Tarr  farm,  and 
in  1861  he  held  a  lease  of  small  dimensions  on  the  Hamilton 
McClintock  farm.  The  Tarr  farm  lease  was  developed  in  1861. 
"  The  Crescent "  well  was  among  the  first  put  down,  and  its  history 
is  a  peculiar  one.  It  started  off  at  three  to  four  hundred  barrels, 
and  flowed  steadily  at  this  rate  for  nearly  ten  months,  and  stopped 
in  an  hour,  and  has  never  since  produced  a  barrel  of  oil !  Efforts 
were  made  in  1871  to  resuscitate  it,  but  without  avail.  It  was 
"  rimmed  out,"  and  re-tubed,  and  after  a  month's  pumping,  was 
abandoned  as  a  dry  hole.  During  the  life  of  the  "  Crescent  well," 
in  1861,  oil  was  selling  at  ten  and  fifteen  cents  per  barrel,  and  while 
it  produced  largely,  it  never  paid  a  dollar  of  profit  to  its  owners ! 

Three  wells  were  put  down  on  the  Hamilton  McClintock  lease, 
in  1861-2,  two  of  which  produced  ten  or  twelve  barrels  each  per 
day,  and  the  third  was  dry! 

History  of  the  "Noble   Well!1 

In  the  spring  of  1860,  Mr.  NOBLE  secured  for  himself  and  part- 
ners— Messrs.  Delemater  and  Lamb — a  lease  of  sixteen  acres  on 
the  Farrel  farm,  half  a  mile  above  what  is  now  known  as  Pioneer. 
For  this  lease  he  paid  $600  bonus,  "  spot  cash,"  and  one-fourth  of 


ORANGE  NOBLE.  381 

the  oil.  He  bound  himself  and  associates  to  proceed  without  de- 
lay— interpreted  to  mean  twenty  to  thirty  days — to  drill  a  well 
1 34  feet  deep.  This  done  his  lease  was  held  to  be  valid  for  twenty 
years,  whether  oil  was  found  at  that  depth  or  not.  In  pursuance 
of  this  contract  he  set  immediately  about  the  work.  A  derrick  was 
erected,  a  "  spring  pole "  hung,  and  the  labor  of  drilling  began. 
It  required  days  and  weeks,  running  into  months,  to  put  down  a 
well  to  this  depth  with  a  "spring  pole,"  but  the  work  was  finally 
accomplished — Mr.  NOBLE  personally  superintending  the  entire 
labor.  It  was  done  by  "  days'  work,"  hiring  men  from  time  to 
time  to  replace  those  who  had  "  worn  themselves  out "  in  the  ex- 
hausting labors  required  of  them. 

The  well  reached  the  required  depth — 134  feet — late  in  the  fall  of 
1860,  and  no  oil,  and  not  even  "a  show"  of  the  coveted  article 
was  visible,  or  had  been  found  from  its  commencement.  Mr.  NO- 
BLE was  the  master  spirit  of  the  enterprise,  and  his  judgment  and 
determination  was  law  to  the  balance  of  the  owners.  He  resolved 
to  abandon  the  well  for  the  present,  at  least,  and  develop  some  one 
or  more  of  his  many  other  leases.  This  he  did  without  unneces- 
sary delay,  and  nothing  was  done  upon  the  property,  in  the  way 
of  developments,  until  the  spring  of  1863.  Meantime  a  "third 
sand  rock"  had  been  found  at  various  points  on  "the  Creek" 
from  which  oil  was  being  produced  in  large  quantities. 

The  contract  for  drilling  this  abandoned  well  of  1860,  was  let  to 
SAM'L  S.  FERTIG,  of  Titusville,  since  become  one  of  the  successful 
oil  producers  of  the  region.  He  employed  for  the  purpose  of  sink- 
ing the  well,  a  small  eight  or  ten  horse-power  boiler  and  engine, 
and  with  the  opening  of  spring  in  1863 — in  April,  or  perhaps  ear- 
lier— he  began  the  work  of  putting  the  well  down  to  the  "  third 
sand."  As  a  part  of  his  payments  for  the  labor,  Mr.  NOBLE  as- 
signed to  him  a  ONE-SIXTEENTH  working  interest.  The  well  was 
drilled  rapidly,  but  after  reaching  the  oil  rock,  at  452  feet  from 
the  surface,  Mr.  Fertig  found  one  or  two  "crevices,"  of  ten  to 
twelve  inches  depth,  as  he  judged  by  the  dropping  of  the  drilling- 


382  HISTORY   OP  PETROLEUM. 

tool.  The  last  "crevice"  of  ten  or  twelve  inches  depth  alarmed 
him,  lest  he  might  get  his  tools  fast,  and  believing  he  was  deep 
enough  in  the  "  sand  rock,"  and  prompted  by  his  fears  for  the 
safety  of  his  tools,  he  "  shut  down "  for  consultation  and  further 
orders.  Mr.  NOBLE  was  absent  at  this  juncture  of  affairs,  and  did 
not  learn  of  Mr.  Fertig's  action  for  a  day  or  two.  "When  he  re- 
turned he  found  everything  at  a  stand-still,  and  the  contractor 
quite  determined  to  stop  where  he  was,  and  test  the  well ! 

Some  time  before  the  well  was  down,  Mr.  NOBLE,  who  had 
from  the  commencement  in  1860,  and  so  on  to  the  second  renewal 
of  operations,  sole  control  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  it,  determined 
to  tube  it,  when  completed,  with  the  best  artesian  tubing.  To  ob- 
tain this  he  visited  the  various  manufactories  at  Cleveland  and 
Pittsburgh,  and  at  last,  where  he  least  expected  to  find  it  in  the  lat- 
ter city,  his  eye  fell  upon  a  few  lengths  of  the  desired  article,  lying 
in  front  of  a  small  establishment,  in  the  rear  of  the  St.  Charles 
Hotel.  He  was  not  long  in  ascertaining  its  "  author  and  finisher," 
a  large  establishment  in  Philadelphia.  He  ordered  six  hundred 
feet  shipped  at  once,  and  contracted  with  the  Pittsburgh  party  to 
take  it  on  its  arrival  there,  mount  each  joint  with  brass  thimbles, 
and  at  the  same  time  manufacture  for  him  a  peculiar  discharge 
pipe,  which  was  to  cap  the  tubing,  having  four  stop  cocks  to  facili- 
tate the  conveyance  of  the  oil  to  any  desired  point.  This  done  he 
hastened  back  to  the  well  to  await  its  arrival. 

Time  and  space  will  not  permit  a  detail  of  the  delays  attending 
the  transit  of  this  tubing  to  its  destination.  It  was  "  switched  off" 
at  Ravenna,  Ohio,  and  lay  there  a  week  or  two,  and  was  delayed 
in  all  about  twenty  days  at  various  points.  It  finally  reached 
Cony,  and  here  Mr.  NOBLE  obtained  permission  from  Dr.  STREE- 
TER,  a  director  of  the  road,  to  have  it  transferred  to  a  freight  car, 
and  this  attached  to  a  passenger  train  nearly  ready  to  start  for  Titus- 
ville.  The  $10  slipped  into  the  palm  of  the  "  train  dispatcher" 
was  an  amazing  help,  in  the  matter  of  facilitating  this  unusual 
manner  of  transporting  large  quantities  of  freight  I 


ORANGE   NOBLE. 


383 


The  tubing  reached  its  destination  in  a  day  or  two  after  its  ship- 
ment from  Corry,  and  was  in  the  well  and  ready  for  operation  by 
3  o'clock  on  the  27th  day  of  May,  1863.  The  well  had  been  stand- 
ing open  for  a  week  or  ten  days,  the  surface  water,  and  water  veins 
below  pouring  into  it  in  great  volume.  It  had  not  filled  up,  but 
the  roar  of  the  "  falling  waters "  was  almost  deafening.  Where 
the  water  ran  to,  as  the  hole  did  not  fill  up,  the  reader  can  "guess  " 
as  well  as  we  can. 

After  a  few  hours  delay  the  well  was  ready  "to  start  up."  Mr. 
NOBLE  gave  orders  to  Mr.  FERTIG,  to  "start  her  slowly  and  pump 
steadily."  This  done  he  repaired  to  an  eating-house  near  by,  as  he 
says,  "to  get  a  bite  of  something  to  eat."  He  had  but  partially  fin- 
ished his  lunch,  when  a  lad  at  the  door  remarked,  "  That  well  throws 
water,  bully  !"  Mr.  NOBLE  heard  the  remark,  but  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  it,  until  it  was  thrice  repeated ;  then  turning  his  eye  toward 
the  door  he  saw  the  "  Noble  well"  spouting  oil  and  water  far  above 
the  derrick  and  trees  about  it !  Mr.  NOBLE  describes  the  scene 
most  graphically.  It  was  about  4  o'clock,  and  the  expectation  was, 
that  it  would  require  pumping  some  hours  before  the  golden  stream 
would  show  itself.  But  it  came  within  twenty  minutes  after  the 
pump  started.  The  well  puffed  and  blowed,  and  roared,  and  the 
earth  about  it  fairly  trembled  with  agitation.  No  one  dared  to  ap- 
proach it,  even  within  the  circuit  of  the  falling  spray  of  oil  and 
water.  The  little  ravine  near  the  derrick  soon  filled  up  with  the 
great  volume  of  oil  rattling  and  foaming  through  the  two-and-a- 
half  inch  tubing.  Something  must  be  done  to  control  the  dis- 
charge and  save  the  oil.  Mr.  NOBLE  offered  $50  each,  to  any  three 
men  who  would  enter  the  derrick  and  attach  his  ingenious  device 
for  conducting  the  oil  into  tanks.  The  men  stripped  to  the  buff, 
and  entered  the  derrick.  The  spray,  oil  and  water  completely  hid 
them  from  view,  and  nearly  drowned  them  before  they  could  ac- 
complish their  task.  At  the  end  of  an  hour,  or  a  little  less,  they 
had  made  the  connection  and  returned  to  the  outer  world.  For 
their  service  Mr.  NOBLE  gave  them  $200. 


384  HISTORY   OP   PETROLEUM. 

The  flow  of  the  well  being  now  un'der  control,  tanks  became  a 
vital  necessity.  One,  of  seven  hundred  barrel  capacity  had  been  pro- 
vided, but  this  was  filled  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time !  Soon 
after  the  oil  began  to  flow  into  the  tank,  Mr.  NOBLE  despatched 
men  on  horseback,  down  "the  Creek"  to  advise  boatmen,  that  they 
could  have  all  the  oil  they  wanted  at  $2  per  barrel.  And  about  the 
hour  the  700-barrel  tank  was  full,  boats  began  to  arrive  from  be- 
low, and  by  midnight  enough  were  abreast  of  the  well  to  take  the 
oil  as  fast  as  it  could  be  conveyed  to  them.  The  following  day 
more  came,  and  by  noon  "  oil  boats"  lay  in  "  the  Creek"  for  twenty 
rods  above  and  below  the  well,  filling  the  stream  from  bank  to 
bank. 

This  was  a  temporary  relief  only.  Mr.  NOBLE  immediately 
employed  all  the  men  he  could  find  to  assist  in  supplying  tanks. 
Fifty  men  were  at  work  the  day  following  "the  great  strike," 
clearing  away,  and  putting  together  immense  tanks  made  of  wood 
and  having  capacity  of  from  eight  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  bar- 
rels. Within  fifty  feet  of  the  "  Noble  well,"  stood  an  empty  tank 
with  a  capacity  of  three  thousand  barrels.  None  of  the  owners 
could  be  found,  but  Mr.  NOBLE  stretched  his  lead  pipes  into  it, 
and  it  was  full  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  after!  Other 
tanks,  wholly  empty,  were  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  "  Noble 
well;"  and  these  were  pressed  into  the  service  and  filled.  By 
the  time  all  these  tanks  were  running  over  full,  the  boats  loaded 
and  dispatched,  Mr.  NOBLE  had  an  ample  supply  of  his  own, 
ready  for  use. 

We  have  been  thus  particular  in  our  detailed  account  of  this  well, 
because  of  the  almost  romance  with  which  it  was  surrounded,  and 
that  seemed  to  mark  its  history  from  its  commencement — and  this 
even  is  not  its  history  complete.  The  well  from  the  start,  flowed 
between  2500  and  3000  barrels  daily,  and  continued  at  this  stand- 
ard for  many  months.  During  its  second  year,  its  product  gradu- 
ally fell  off,  and  in  the  later  months  of  its  second  year's  life  in  1865, 
it  produced  four  to  eight  hundred  barrels  a  day.  The  first  month's 


ORANGE  XOBLE.  385 

shipments  and  sales  from  its  product,  were  61,300  barrels, — and 
there  were  still  left  in  the  tanks  15,000  barrels.  The  loss  'from 
waste,  leakage,  want  of  tankage,  &c.,  &c.,  was  large,  and  altogether 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  during  the  first  months  of  its  existence,  its  pro- 
duct was  not  less  than  3000  barrels  per  day.  When  it  began  to 
flow,  oil  was  selling  at  the  wells  at  $4  per  barrel.  To  save  as  much 
of  it  as  possible,  Mr.  NOBLE  sold  it  by  the  boat  load,  and  with  little 
regard  to  the  size  of  the  boat,  at  $2  per  barrel.  While  the  product 
was  at  its  height,  oil  was  sold  at  $6,  $7,  $8,  and  even  $10  and 
$13  per  barrel,  from  their  great  tanks,  bringing  in  return  a  volume 
of  greenbacks,  which  went  to  enrich  the  fortunate  owners  and  land 
proprietors.  It  has  come  to  be  a  proverb  almost,  that  "The  Noble 
well "  earned  more  money  for  its  owners,  than  any  well  ever  struck 
in  the  oil  regions.  And  it  may  be  added,  that  every  dollar  it 
earned  was  scrupulously  accounted  for,  and  paid  over  to  the  rightful 
owner. 

Mr.  NOBLE  superintended  the  work  of  putting  down  the  well, 
and  determined,  when  it  began  to  produce  in  such  immense  volume, 
that  every  interest  should  have  its  full  share  of  the  profits — and 
he  rigidly  adhered  to  this  determination,  as  long  as  he  had  control 
of  it.  When  it  subsequently  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  stock  com- 
pany he  surrendered  his  charge,  conscious  that  no  interest,  however 
small, — and  there  were  many  who  held  interests,  drawing  only  one 
barrel  in  one  hundred  and  seventeen — had.  suffered  a  loss  of  a 
dollar. 

"The  Caldwell  well"  was  located  a  short  distance  from  the 
"  Noble  Well,"  and  had  been  producing  from  400  to  500  barrels 
per  day  for  a  month  before  the  "  Noble "  was  struck.  After  the 
"  Noble  well "  was  down — and  pouring  out  its  3000  barrels  daily, 
Mr.  NOBLE  became  interested  in  the  effect  it  would  be  likely  to 
produce  upon  his  near  neighbors,  of  "the  Caldwell."  He  fre- 
quently met  the  superintendent,  Mr.  Brown,  and  always  inquired 
if  he  "discovered  any  change  in  the  product  of  their  well?" 
"  No,"  was  the  reply,  for  several  days.  But  the  change  not  long 
25 


386  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

after  this  was  apparent.  "The  Caldwell"  was  surely  lessening, 
day  by  day,  in  its  product,  and  Mr.  Brown  became  solicitous  for 
the  interests  of  his  company,  owners  and  employers.  He  made 
known  his  fears  to  Mr.  NOBLE,  who  had  from  the  first  been  anti- 
cipating this  very  result.  He  had  several  interviews  with  Mr. 
Brown,  who  at  first  intimated  and  subsequently  fairly  demanded 
one-quarter  of  the  product  of  the  "  Noble  well "  as  remuneration 
for  the  loss  to  "  The  Caldwell."  The  "  Noble  "  was  producing  at 
this  time — ten  days  to  two  weeks  after  it  was  struck — 3,000  barrels 
a  day.  Mr.  Brown  would  be  satisfied  with  one-quarter  of  the  pro- 
duct, and  deemed  this  a  fair  equivalent  for  the  loss  his  well  was 
sustaining  !  Mr.  NOBLE,  although  not  legally  bound  to  pay  a  sin- 
gle dollar  to  the  owners  of  the  "  Caldwell  well,"  yet  acknowledged 
a  moral  obligation  to  reimburse  them.  The  Noble  well  had  been 
located  and  drilled  134  feet  three  years  before  the  Caldwell  well 
had  been  projected,  and  when  it  was  down,  and  it  was  absolutely 
known  that  it  was  drawing  the  oil  from  his  neighbors,  there  was 
no  legal  obligation  resting  upon  him  to  make  good  their  loss. 
Nevertheless,  he  felt  it  his  duty,  to  in  part  at  least,  make  good  their 
deficiency.  There  was  still  another  fear  in  regard  to  the  "Cald- 
well well."  The  owners  threatened  to  draw  their  tubing  and  let 
the  water  down  into  the  "  Noble  well,"  and  thus  destroy  both,  in 
all  probability.  To  avoid  this  threatened  contingency,  as  well  as 
to  deal  justly,  Mr.  NOBLE  cheerfully  entered  into  the  negotiations 
we  hereafter  detail.  Mr.  Brown  was  advised  to  call  together  his 
co-partners,  at  a  subsequent  day,  with  a  view  to  some  sort  of  settle- 
ment. This  meeting  was  soon  after  held,  and  Mr.  NOBLE  asked 
them  to  consider  the  whole  question  at  issue,  and  submit  two  pro- 
positions— one  for  the  sale  of  their  property,  and  the  other,  the 
amount  of  oil  they  would  be  satisfied  with,  from  the  Noble  well. 
They  first  demanded,  one-quarter  of  the  product  of  the  Noble  well! 
The  Caldwell  had  never  produced  more  than  650  barrels  per  day, 
even  before  the  "Noble  well"  was  struck,  and  now  they  required 
seven  or  eight  hundred  barrels  to  make  good,  not  their  absolute 


ORANGE  NOBLE.  387 

loss,  but  a  prospective  injury  to  their  well.  ("  The  CaMwell "  was 
at  this  time  flowing  about  350  barrels.)  The  proposition  to  sell 
their  property  had  also  been  considered,  and  they  had  agreed  to 
offer  it  to  Mr.  NOBLE  for  $150,000. 

A  second  council  was  held,  but  they  adhered  to  the  first  demand 
— one-quarter  of  the  product  of  the  NOBLE  well,  but  had  concluded 
to  take  $145,000  for  their  lease,  well  and  property.  "When  do 
you  want  this  money?"  inquired  Mr.  NOBLE.  "To-day,"  said 
Mr.  Brown.  "  That's  a  good  deal  of  cash  to  raise  in  so  short  a 
time,"  answered  Mr.  NOBLE,  "and  I  am  not  able  to  do  it.  I  will 
tell  you  what  I'll  do.  I  will  buy  your  property  at  the  sum  you 
name,  and  will  pay  you  to-day  $37,500.  Fifteen  days  from  to-day 
I  will  pay  you  $40,000  more.  Thirty  days  from  to-day  I  will  pay 
you  $40,000  more,  and  the  balance,  $28/500,  I  will  pay  on  or 
before  the  end  of  forty-five  days  from  to-day."  This  liberal  propo- 
sition was  finally  accepted,  and  the  Caldwell  well  passed  into  the 
control  and  ownership  of  the  Noble  Well  Company.  It  continued 
to  produce  two  or  three  hundred  barrels  a  day  for  a  few  weeks,  but 
in  less  than  one  month  it  "dried  up,"  and  never  afterwards  pro- 
duced a  barrel  of  oil ! 

The  negotiations  and  final  purchase  of  this  property  were  all  the 
work  of  Mr.  NOBLE,  and  were  begun  and  concluded  without  the 
knowledge  and  consent  of  his  associates,  if  we  except  W.  H.  Abbott, 
Woods  &  Wright,  J.  W.  Hammond,  Esq.,  and  one  or  two  of  the 
land  owners — the  Messrs.  Farrel — who  had  purchased  small  work- 
ing interests.  Mr.  NOBLE  conceded  a  moral  obligation  to  make 
good,  or  to  a  degree  repair  the  loss  of  his  neighbors,  but  it  is  mo- 
rally certain  that  no  court  or  jury  would  ever  have  awarded  the 
fabulous  sum  he  consented  to  pay  to  make  them  whole.  He,  how- 
ever, determined  to  deal  justly  and  honorably  with  all,  and  if  he 
erred  in  his  conclusions  the  error  should  be  against  himself.  When 
afterwards  his  action  was  submitted  to  his  associates,  it  was  heartily 
and  unqualifiedly  approved. 

This  large  sum  of  money,  $145,000,  was  afterwards  paid  before 


388  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

it  became  due ;  and  every  dollar  of  it  was  earned  and  realized  from 
the  product  of  the  Noble  Well,  and  within  the  forty-five  days  of  its 
maturity ! 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  reliable  data  can  be  found  now  of 
the  immense  sums  of  money  this  well  earned  for  its  owners.  The 
entire  product  of  the  we'll  was,  according  to  the  books  of  shipment 
and  sales,  480,000  barrels.  It  is  safe  to  say,  that  $2,800,000  is  a 
fair  estimate  of  its  fabulous  profits.  Of  this  princely  sum,  one-quar- 
ter was  paid  to  the  land  interest,  owned  by  James,  John  and 
Nelson  Parrel,  now  residing  at  Titusville,  and  an  only  sister,  Miss 
Sadie  Parrel,  since  Mrs.  W.  B.  Sterritt,  of  Titusville.  The  re- 
maining three-quarters  were  fairly  and  equitably  divided  according 
to  the  interest  owned,  among  the  ten  or  twelve  fortunate  possessors. 

Original  Owners  of  the  Noble  Well. 

Orange  Noble  and  Geo.  B.  Delemater  owned  one-half  the  work- 
ing interest.  One-sixteenth  of  their  interest  was  in  18 63,  assigned 
to  S.  S.  Pertig,  who  subsequently  sold  it  to  W.  H.  Abbott,  of  Titus- 
ville, for  §12,500.  L.  L.  Lamb,  W.  H.  Noble,  Salmon  Noble, 
father  of  Orange  Noble,  Charles  Delemater,  Thomas  Delemater,  G. 
T.  Churchill,  James  Hall,  Eev.  L.  Keed,  L.  H.  Hall,  and  Kollin 
Thompson — these  last  ten  owned,  altogether,  a  little  less  than  a 
one-quarter  interest,  which,  when  divided,  gave  each  one  barrel  of 
every  117  barrels  the  well  produced.  Even  this  small  fractional 
interest  gave  to  each  from  sixteen  to  twenty-two  barrels  per  day. 
After  the  well  was  down  and  producing  3000  barrels  daily,  Mr. 
W.  H.  Abbott  purchased  the  one-sixteenth  interest,  owned  by  Mr. 
Fertig,  who,  while  drilling  the  well,  purchased  a  sixteenth  land 
interest  from  Jno.  Parrel,  at  a  nominal  price.  This  he  also  sold  to 
Mr.  Abbott  for  $14,500.  Jno.  W.  Hammond,  Esq.,  of  Erie,  Pa., 
purchased  an  interest^  after  the  well  was  struck,  as  did  also  "Woods 
&  Wright,  of  Petroleum  Centre. 

There  is  one  fact  connected  with  the  history  of  "The  Noble 
well "  which  we  venture  to  give  here  as  entirely  new  to  most  of 


ORANGE   NOBLE.  389 

the  readers  of  the  present  day.  Ten  days,  or  perhaps  two  weeks 
before  the  well  was  down,  a  gentleman  called  upon  Mr.  NOBLE, 
and  after  much  circuitous  conversation,  asked,  "What  will  you 
take  for  your  interest  in  this  well,  Mr.  NOBLE?"  Mr.  N.  dis- 
claimed any  desire  to  sell.  "Will  you  take  $10,000?"  said  the 
stranger.  "Oh,  you  don't  want  to  pay  that  amount  of  money  for 
an  uncertain  piece  of  property,"  replied  Mr.  NOBLE.  But  the 
stranger  was  in  earnest.  He  offered  $10,000,  and  subsequently 
$20,000,  and  $50,000,  and  finally  $100,000  was  tendered  for  the 
Noble  and  Delemater  one-half  interest .  in  the  well !  Mr.  NOBLE 
declined  all,  not  because  he  deemed  the  well  worth  more  than  that 
sum  of  money,  but  because  he  had  determined  to  see  it  down  and 
tested  before  he  parted  with  another  fraction  of  his  interest.  The 
wisdom  of  his  resolute  action  was  fully  realized  in  the  subse- 
quent history  of  the  well,  for  he  received  as  his  part  of  the  profits 
from  its  product,  nearly  if  not  quite  $800,000  ! 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  Noble  well  may  be  briefly  stated. 
During  the  spring  of  1864, "The  Noble  &  Delemater  Oil  Com- 
pany" was  organized,  the  interests  of  Mr.  NOBLE  and  Mr.  De- 
lemater in  the  well,  forming  the  basis  of  its  capital  stock,  which 
was  fixed  at  $500,000.  Of  this  sum  Messrs.  NOBLE  &  Delemater 
held  $200,000  in  shares,  the  par  value  of  which  was  $10  per  share. 
The  well  was  still  producing  500  to  800  barrels  daily,  and  con- 
tinued to  do  this  for  some  months  after  the  organization  of  the 
stock  company.  Several  monthly  dividends  were  declared,  and 
everything  seemed  to  be  going  on  promisingly.  Of  course  with 
the  organization  of  the  stock  company,  the  control  of  the  well 
passed  from  the  hands  of  Mr.  NOBLE,  to  that  of  the  company. 
During  the  early  months  of  1865,  the  well  still  flowing  300  to  400 
barrels,  the  Superintendent  and  President  of  the  Company  deemed 
it  necessary  to  take  out  the  tubing  and  clean  out  the  well.  This 
was  very  earnestly  opposed  by  Mr.  NOBLE,  who  seems  to  have  had 
well-grounded  fears  in  regard  to  the  proceeding.  His  opposition 
delayed  the  determinations  of  these  gentlemen  for  a  few  weeks,  and 


390  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

meantime  Mr.  NOBLE  sold,  as  did  also  Mr.  Delemater,  every  share 
of  their  stock  at  a  little  more  than  its  par  value.  Later  in  the 
spring  of  1865,  the  tubing  was  taken  out,  the  well  thoroughly 
cleaned,  and  again  put  into  operation.  But  the  life  of  the  grand 
old  flower  had  fled !  With  the  exception  of  a  few  barrels  of  oil 
pumped  for  a  day  or  two  after  "starting  up,"  it  came  to  a  dead 
stand,  and  was  shortly  after  abandoned  as  a  dry  hole ! 

In  April,  1864,  Mr.  NOBLE  removed  from  Townville  to  Erie, 
Pa.,  where  he  had  already  purchased  a  very  handsome  residence 
and  grounds.  The  dwelling  is  situated  in  the  YvTestern  portion  of 
the  city,  upon  a  slight  eminence,  overlooking  the  city,  harbor  and 
lake.  Mr.  NOBLE  has  expended  a  large  amount  of  money  in  fur- 
nishing his  home,  and  in  embellishing  the  ample  grounds  about  it. 
Everything  is  substantial,  luxurious  and  attractive. 

In  January,  1865,  "The  Keystone  National  Bank  "  of  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  organized  with  a  capital  of  $150,000 — Mr.  NOBLE  sub- 
scribing $75,000  to  its  stock.  At  the  first  meeting  for  the  election 
of  officers,  Mr.  NOBLE  was  elected  its  President,  and  has  been  an- 
nually re-elected  to  this  responsible  position,  since.  THE  KEY- 
STONE NATIONAL  BANK  of  Erie,  Pa.,  is  one  of  the  best  managed 
and  most  substantial  institutions  of  its  character,  in  the  Common- 
wealth of  Pennsylvania.  Among  its  directors  are  the  ablest  men 
of  the  growing  city  of  Erie,  who  give  character,  thrift  and  success  to 
financial  operations  of  this  magnitude.  Before  leaving  this  portion 
of  Mr.  NOBLE'S  history,  it  is  not  deemed  inappropriate  to  say,  that 
the  capital  stock  of  the  Keystone  National  Bank  has  been  increasd 
to  $280,000,  and  this  within  a  year  after  its  organization. 

In  April,  1868,  Mr.  NOBLE  was  made  the  candidate  of  his  party 
for  the  responsible  office  of  Mayor,  and  was  elected  by  a  large  ma- 
jority. He  was  re-elected  to  serve  a  second  term,  and  pending  an 
amendment  of  the  City's  Charter,  he  held  over  one  term,  and  was 
re-elected  the  third  time  without  opposition.  During  his  four 
years'  administration  many  valuable  and  much  needed  city  improve- 
ments were  inaugurated,  and  carried  through  to  completion.  Among 


OEANGE   NOBLE.  391 

these  we  may  name  Erie's  splendid  system  of  water  works,  costing 
$800,000.  The  water  is  taken  from  the  lake,  given  an  elevation 
of  two  hundred  feet,  and  thence  distributed  to  every  part  of  the  city, 
through  immense  mains  and  in  exhaustless  quantities.  These  water- 
works are  after  the  pattern  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  may  well  be 
the  pride  and  boast  of  the  good  people  of  the  city  of  Erie. 

A  thorough  and  elaborate  system  of  sewerage  was  also  adopted 
and  put  into  operation  during  Mr.  NOBLE'S  term  of  office.  To 
this  should  be  added  the  adoption  of  a  general  street  paving  policy, 
inaugurated  and  carried  into  successful  operation  during  his  admin- 
istration. 

Mr.  NOBLE  is  largely  identified  with  many  of  the  industrial  and 
financial  enterprises  of  the  city  of  Erie.  He  was  made  the  Presi- 
dent of  The  Alps  Insurance  Company,  upon  its  organization  in 
1871,  and  has  been  twice  re-elected  to  this  position. 

Upon  its  organization  in  1869,  he  was  elected  and  has  been  re- 
elected  since  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Erie  City  Passenger  Railway 
Company,  and  is  among  its  largest  stockholders. 

He  is  a  director  of  "  The  Second  National  Bank  of  Erie,"  and  is 
also  a  director  of  "  The  Erie  Dime  Savings  Bank,"  an  institution 
of  steady  growth  and  solidity.  He  is  also  a  large  stockholder  and 
a  director  of  the  Foxburg  and  St.  Petersburg  Savings  Bank,  in 
Clarion  County.  In  1866,  Mr.  NOBLE  erected  the  "  Noble  Block," 
a  magnificent  brick  and  stone  structure,  four  stories  high,  and  cov- 
ering nearly  half  a  square  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Eighth  Streets. 
This  improvement,  for  it  is  one  of  the  finest  blocks  in  the  city,  cost 
him  in  the  neighborhood  of  $140,000.  He  was  the  projector, 
builder  and  one-half  owner  of  the  first  elevator  built  in  the  city 
of  Erie.  He  is  also  half  owner  of  "  The  Bay  State  Iron  Works," 
one  of  the  successful  industries  of  Erie,  in  which  he  has  invested 
$50,000.  He  is  besides  the  owner  of  a  one-quarter  interest  in  the 
extensive  blast  furnace  of  Rawle,  Noble  &  Co..  in  which  he  has 
invested  $60,000. 

In  1872, he  added  to  his  other  enterprises  "The  Erie  Paper 


392  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM, 

Mill/'  for  the  manufacture  of  paper  from  wood  and  other  mate- 
rial. This  undertaking,  at  first  an  experiment,  has  now  come  to  be 
a  positive  success,  and  to  it  Mr.  NOBLE  has  contributed  of  his  am- 
ple means  to  make  it  so,  its  entire  capital — nearly  $70,000. 

It  will  be  hardly  expected  that  we  should  make  mention  of  all 
the  enterprises  with  which  Mr.  NOBLE  has  identified  himself  during 
his  ten  years'  residence  in  the  city  of  Erie.  It  is  due  to  him  to 
say,  however,  that  whatever  promised  growth  and  prosperity  to  the 
city  of  his  residence  has  met  his  warm  approval  and  co-operation. 

Mr.  NOBLE  is  a  gentleman  of  quiet  deportment  and  simple 
tastes  and  habits.  He  is  not  proud,  nor  can  he  be  said  to  be  a 
handsome  man.  There  is  however  a  cordiality  always  about  him 
that  renders  him  attractive  and  agreeable  to  all  who  make  his  ac- 
quaintance. He  is  a  rigidly  upright,  honest  and  honorable  man, 
of  unimpeachable  integrity  and  real  private  worth.  In  business 
circles  he  is  recognized  as  a  gentleman  of  liberal  views  and  clear 
conceptions,  enterprising,  and  generously  so,  with  the  ample  means 
at  his  control.  He  is  a  man  of  even  temper,  amounting  to  amia- 
bility. He  is  cool  in  judgment  and  candid  in  the  expression  of  his 
opinions.  There  may  be,  and  possibly  is,  a  little  self-will  in  his 
general  character,  but  this  is  guided  and  governed  by  a  matured 
experience  that  always  controls  his  action.  There  is  no  deception  ' 
in  the  man.  He  is  frank  in  his  friendships  and  as  steadfast  and 
true  as. the  needle  to  the  pole.  Integrity  of  character,  devotion  to 
his  friends,  and  a  readiness  to  serve  them  at  a  personal  inconve- 
nience, if  need  be,  make  up  the  personal  worth  and  comprehend 
the  general  outline  of  his  character. 

Although  practically  retired  from  the  oil  trade,  he  is  still  the 
possessor  of  large  tracts  of  oil  lands  located  in  the  vicinity  of 
Tidioute.  These  he  leases  upon  liberal  terms,  as  opportunity 
offers.  His  extensive^and  extending  business  cares  absorb  much 
of  his  time  and  attention.  But  he  is  blessed  with  a  vigorous  con- 
stitution and  robust  health,  and  bids  fair  to  live  to  a  ripe  old  age 
to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  industry  and  deserved  success. 


DR.   F.   B.    BREWER. 


O-i.  P.  B, 


Pa.  F.  P,  SKEWER, 


TV  '  '•" '(.i'V         1,     1  *  .j    \_f  ,j.i'  f!.w;_      I.'i.'lii. 

Meludo.-'s  Falls,  Vermont,   .:*!  Uirre  wnned  on  £>.n  i'U-.-usivi!  =,vr 
ctintiltt  «r.«.l  lurnlv-riai;  business  until   tbo  year  j.8-10   \\  u  n  hi-  a.rd 
his  assof  ••  ites  .n  I ••^mt&s  purchased  several  t)so;.-3---:    v-jv^.,!   s,»r;J 
on  (Jd  Cr'jek,  anu  a>ntini\ed  tluT^  thoir  more;  ui.  '  ^, :'.*'> 

r]'li!"'  -a" "jec't  of  [his  sk<v'h  l>  u  '^adiru*-  <n   i;  -ur 
clis.s  of  184t>,      He  coriti,'U;.  d  hir  pii-lv^r.ioi'-ai  *•*  *••' 
cal  department  of  the  saw  in^tiUiiina,  I.IIK!  r-ouij  ' 
Jcfferfifoh  ^Icdi^a1  Srlvx)!,  of  Philadelphia.   M*  h* ;-  v 
micdi'inc  iu  Bumfl,  Vorr.»ont.     Soon  after  M»«   .  ..  ;;  :    •  .• 

>.•  o  ;l  Oil  J, ,'  :*ef--k ,  ftfc  Til '  jj?  v  i  I  i  r,  ' : 


, 
iu  thar  liuiii^iiitf*!  vjomify  and  along  the  valley  «'•!     Si  ;'^ei?4,0nd 

in  fjf»uversation  with  }x.rsor.s'  tvhu  had  returned  from  ihat  rL^i-.-fi  lie 

t^ifDed  that  it  \vas' highly   '-itemed  as  a  domestic  remedy  ot'  .^-t.-Ht 

efti^acy  in  .-.everai  di^n-.      '-j'sh  ;j*  rbeumutisoit  neural&'ia  mn!  ui- 


tr  i'  ion?  oi'iJw.1    il  <t?  ii  -nth  mis,rfe^  ,-!i^a^s  iu  his  pra 


iwvthii t  an  firt-' ',!•.-•=  !»-:•  j>f.': .•-.<.;••"••'•.  4;^*  ^i^  ^Tfyr^cttll'v  valu- 

able should  bo  5?o  <"•  >*••*• 

lit  1<>  r;ii.  jr  . -t.  th<.-  *'i#t«)f     «:f  * '-jt?';  •••»&}«»'   Vs-*!   Jf..sfcry*«N <  dwt  ir 
found  in  .  ;{;iin  txn'tif-r.-1.  .«:  Wy  -f    »^»*.  's-**!  *•*»  tiK.  Krs^t,.  . 
extent  ntjliiioil,  and  ei.-rewr  ^'a«   S*^.-       v.^cn^i  .5;al«>tks>  of 

In  the  tail  of  US5G/  T'v'         r*if«  «^^k.  a  >.*urti<; 


DE.  F.  B.  BEEWEE.  395 

solicited  to  take  stock  in  an  oil  company,  and  wished  Dr.  BEEWEE  to 
give  him  some  information  on  the  subject,  which  was  cheerfully 
done.  The  stock  was  purchased,  and  Col.  Drake  some  years  after, 
moved  to  Titusville,  and  developed  the  first  oil  well  ever  bored  or 
drilled  in  the  rock. 

From  this  time  till  1864,  Dr.  BEEWEE  gave  most  of  his  time  to 
the  oil  business.  The  firm  of  Brewer,  Watson  &  Co.,  owning 
large  tracts  of  land,  and  leasing  many  farms,  required  the  active 
labors  of  all  their  partners. 

In  18G4,  the  company  sold  most  of  their  territory,  and  Dr. 
BEEWEE,  who  had  removed  to  Westfield,  Chautauqua  Co.,  New 
York,  organized  the  "  First  National  Bank,"  in  that  village, 
of  which  he  has  always  been  the  president.  He  is  also  proprietor 
of  a  large  manufacturing  establishment,  called  the  "  Westfield 
Lock  Works." 

During  the  rebellion,  Dr.  BEEWEB  received  the  appointment  of 
Special  State  Agent,  with  rank  as  Major,  and  spent  much  time  in 
visiting  the  soldiers  of  New  York,  looking  after  their  welfare,  and 
supplying  their  wants  when  sick,  and  suffering  in  the  camps  and 
hospitals,  and  on  the  field  throughout  the  Eastern  and  Southern 
Divisions  of  the  army. 

In  the  year  1867,  the  doctor  made  the  tour  of  Europe,  and 
during  this  time,  he  carefully  examined  into  the  progress  made  in 
the  refining  business,  and  the  comparative  merits  of  the  several 
processes  used  by  the  European  manufacturers  of  refined  oil,  as  com- 
pared with  the  American  methods  of  accomplishing  the  same 
results.  The  samples  exhibited  at  the  Paris  exposition,  were 
numerous,  but  the  merit  belonged  to  the  American  Kefiners — as 
was  clearly  demonstrated  by  the  purity  of  the  oil,  and  the  brilliancy 
of  the  light. 

Dr.  BEEWEE,  has  still  some  free  interests  in  the  oil  regions,  and 
occasionally  visits  Titusville,  and  the  valley  of  Oil  Creek,  where 
he  is  most  cordially  welcomed  by  the  old  residents  of  the  country 
as  well  as  by  numerous  gentlemen,  who  have  known  him  only 


396  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

through  business  operations.  He  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the 
people  among  whom  he  now  resides,  as  is  evinced  by  his  occupy- 
ing the  position  of  Chairman  of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors, 
and  Member  of  Assembly  from  the  First  District  of  Chautauqua 
County. 

Dr.  BREWER  is  a  gentleman  of  solid  worth,  and  we  may  add, 
of  solid  wealth,  as  well.  A  man  of  superior  education  and  rare 
literary  culture,  he  is  fitted  for  almost  any  position  he  may 
aspire  to.  Of  robust  physique,  excellent  presence,  and  attractive 
manner,  he  wins,  and  merits  distinction  in  whatever  circle  he  may 
move.  He  is  enterprising  with  his  large  means,  liberal  in  his 
views  of  public  affairs,  and  thoroughly  honest  and  honorable  in  all 
his  private  and  public  relations.  He  acts  from  his  convictions 
always,  never  doing  violence  to  his  own  sense  of  right  and  wrong. 
He  has  due  respect  for  the  opinions  of  others,  and  is  proverbially 
reserved  in  the  expression  of  his  own.  He  is  eminently  a  man  of 
the  people,  and  is  universally  respected  for  his  integrity  and  purity 
of  character. 


JOHN    FERTIG 


JOHN   FEKTIG. 


JOHN   FERTIQ. 


399 


sum  aggregated  $80  for  his  winter  services,  and  constituted  the 
entire  fund  at  his  command  for  the  expenses  of  clothing,  board  and 
tuition  during  the  remaining  eight  months  of  the  year,  if  we 
except  twenty-five  or  thirty  dollars,  earned  in  "  haying  and  harvest- 
ing." During  this  four  years  of  effort,  to  secure  for  himself  an 
education,  he  attended  an  academic  institution,  located  at  Neill- 
town,  Warren  County,  Pa.,  which  offered  very  many  advantages. 
Joseph  A.  Neil,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  of  prominence,  now  residing  at 
Titusville,  was,  during  some  of  the  terms  of  this  Academy  attended 
by  Mr.  FERTIG,  a  teacher  in,  or  a  professor  of  the  Institution. 

Mr.  FERTIG,  spent  the  winter  of  1859-60,  in  charge  of  "Deer- 
field  District  school  No.  8,"  at  Steam  Mills,  and  this  was  the  last  of 
his  teaching.  He  received  for  his  services  from  the  District,  $18 
per  month  and  board.  To  this  amount,  Captain  A.  B.  Funk, 
then  a  large  lumber  manufacturer  and  dealer  at  that  place,  and  a 
man  of  proverbial  benevolence  and  good  deeds,  added  a  like 
amount,  from  his  own  purse.  With  this  addition  to  his  ready 
means,  Mr.  FERTIG  hoped  to  complete  his  higher  course  of 
studies,  and  looked  forward  to  this  consummation,  with  earnest 
solicitude.  During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1859-60,  however,  the 
oil  developments  of  Col.  DRAKE,  had  been  attracting  public  at- 
tention, and  it  would  be  strange  indeed,  if  young  men  of  Mr. 
FERTIG'S  temperament  and  ambition,  did  not  catch  the  inspiration 
of  the  hour.  He  visited  the  old  "  Drake  Well,"  and  subsequently, 
the  "  Barnsdall  Well "  in  the  same  vicinity — and  as  soon,  almost 
as  we  can  write  it,  the  earlier  aspirations  of  his  youth,  were  laid 
aside,  and  he  determined  to  have  an  oil  well !  He  was .  without 
capital,  save  his  winter's  salary,  but  he  had  health,  two  hands  and 
a  will,  and  determination  ample  for  the  emergency.  He  obtained 
from  his  friend,  Capt.  A.  B.  FUNK,  a  sub-lease  of  five  acres,  on 
the  upper  McElhenny  farm,  then  wholly  undeveloped  territory. 
The  farm  at  this  date  had  been  purchased  by  Capt.  Funk,  and  he 
was  drilling  the  first  hole  upon  it — the  old  "  Fountain  Well." 

In  this,  his  first  oil  well  enterprise,  Mr.  FERTIG  had  two  partners. 


400 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


Mr.  David  Beatty,  then  of  "West  Hickory,  and  since  a  successful 
operator  in  that  locality,  and  now  a  wealthy  citizen  of  Warren, 
Pa.,  was  one  of  these,  and  Michael  Gorman,  then  a  small  farmer 
near  Steam  Mills,  and  since  become  a  wealthy  oil-man,  and  removed 
to  Ohio,  was  the  other.  The  well  was  put  under  way,  as  soon  as 
possible  after  the  spring  floods  had  subsided.  The  drilling  was 
done  with  a  spring  pole,  by  contract,  and  to  pay  his  part  of  the  ex- 
pense of  putting  down  the  well,  Mr.  FERTIG  hired  to  the  contractor 
at  one  dollar  a  day !  This  engagement,  however,  lasted  only  three 
or  four  days,  for  Mr.  FERTIG,  found  he  was  "  kicking "  two  to  five 
feet  per  day,  for  which  the  contractor  received  $2  per  foot, — 
one-third  of  which  was  chargeable  to  his  own  account — and  he  was 
only  receiving  $1  per  day,  for  his  services ! 

Three  or  four  months  were  used  up  in  drilling  this  well  down  to 
the  depth  at  which  oil  was  found  on  the  Watson  flats — 175  to  200 
feet.  At  the  depth  this  well  was  drilled,  200  feet,  no  signs  of  oil 
were  visible  !  A  whole  summer  gone,  and  the  little  all  Mr.  FER- 
TIG could  call  his  own  at  the  commencement,  had  long  since  been 
exhausted ! 

The  well  was  abandoned  and  the  territory  condemned  !  Mr. 
FERTIG,  who  had  by  his  three  or  four  days7  services  upon  his  own 
well,  learned  enough  of  the  "  art "  to  warrant  him  in  embarking  in 
the  business  of  drilling  wells,  supplied  himself  with  a  set  of  tools, 
and  contracted  to  put  down  two  or  more  wells  at  Walnut  Bend,  on 
the  Allegany  River,  above  Oil  City.  The  receipts  from  these  were 
sufficient  to  pay  up  his  "  assessments  "  on  the  "  Fertig  Well,"  on  the 
Upper  McElhenny.  Meantime  Capt.  Funk,  who  had  been  at  work 
upon  "  The  Fountain  Well/7  during  the  same  summer,  and  who, 
upon  reaching  a  depth  of  200  feet,  resolved  to  go  deeper,  assuming 
from  "  the  surface  indications  "  that  "  oil  must  be  there,  somewhere 
this  side  of  China  !  "  After  the  "  spring  pole  "  upon  Capt.  Funk's 
well  gave  out,  a  horse-power  was  substituted,  and  subsequently  a 
small  steam  engine  was  employed  to  complete  it  to  the  depth  of  500 
feet.  This  was  the  "Fountain  Well,"  and  started  off,  "  flowing"  at 


JOHN   FERTTG. 


401 


300  barrels  per  day.  Soon  after  this  well  was  struck  Mr.  FERTIG  re- 
sumed operations  upon  his  abandoned  lease  of  the  year  previous — 
I860 — and  without  detailing  the  trials  and  vexations  that  attended 
this,  as  all  others  of  the  early  developments  of  that  day,  we  may 
simply  add,  that  when  the  well  reached  the  third  sand  it  com- 
menced to  "  flow  "  at  the  rate  of  300  barrels  per  day  ! 

This  was  in  the  spring  of  1861,  and  here  we  leave  Mr.  FERTIG 
in  the  possession  and  enjoyment  of  his  good  fortune,  to  bring  up  a 
sketch  of  the  life  of  his  partner,  Jno.  "W.  Hammond,  Esq.,  of  Erie, 
Pa.,  who  shortly  after,  purchased  an  interest  in  this  well,  then  and 
afterwards  known  as  the  "  Fertig  Well."  This  done,  we  shall 
trace  the  progress  of  the  firm  of  Fertig  &  Hammond  through  the 
twelve  years  of  its  existence. 

Mr.  FERTIG  is  of  unassuming  manners  and  attractive  address. 
A  thorough  business  man,  he  is  rarely  excited,  but  is  always 
"  pushing  "  whatever  demands  his  attention.  Self-poised  and  self- 
possessed,  he  wins  the  good  opinions  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact,  by  a  manly  straight-forwardness  always  indicative  of  the 
true  gentleman.  Scrupulously  honorable,  there  is  an  air  of  manli- 
ness about  him  at  once  noticeable  and  attractive.  Socially  he  is 
a  man  to  cultivate.  In  private  life  he  is  above  reproach,  and  in  all 
his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-citizens  he  maintains  an  unblemished 
reputation. ,  Always  exhibiting  a  careful  regard -of  the  opinions  of 
others,  he  does  not  obtrude  his  own  offensively  upon  any.  He  is, 
however,  a  man  of  decided  convictions,  and  acts  upon  them  without 
fear  or  favor.  In  business,  commercial  or  mercantile  circles,  he 
takes  high  rank,  not  more  for  his  uniform  reliability  and  prompt- 
ness than  for  his  efficiency,  candor  and  acknowledged  practical 
views  of  whatever  engrosses  his  mind. 

He  cultivates  a  liberal  estimate  of  men,  and  is  generous  in  his 
dealings  with  all.  Enterprises  calculated  to  add  to  the  growth 
and  enhance  the  importance  of  the  city  of  his  adoption,  have  his 
ready  approval  with  both  purse  and  effort.  It  cannot  be  said,  that 
he  is  prodigal  in  the  use  of  his  ample  means,  and  yet  he  gives 
26 


402  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

bountifully  to  charities,  whether  of  a  private  or  public  character. 
He  is,  above  and  beyond  all,  a  gentleman  of  high  moral  tone, 
modest  in  his  deportment,  frugal  in  all  his  business  affairs,  and 
temperate  in  all  things. 

In  the  acquisition  of  his  large  fortune,  he  has  paid  dollar  for 
dollar  of  his  indebtedness,  and  no  man  can  say  he  has  been  wronged 
by  him.  His  investments  have  been  successes,  perhaps  beyond  the 
common  lot  of  men.  But  his  possessions  are  the  fruit  of  his  own 
industry  and  his  rigid  attention  to  his  own  affairs.  This  has 
brought  him  to  be  among  the  largest  property  owners  of  the  City 
of  Titusville,  and  has  made  him  one  of  her  prominent,  enterprising 
citizens.  In  this  connection  we  may  add,  he  is  the  owner  of  the 
"  Fertig  block,"  one  of  the  substantial  business  structures  of  the 
city,  located  at  the  corners  of  Spring,  Martin  and  Diamond  Streets. 
He  is  half  owner  of  the  large  flouring  mill  on  Franklin  Street,  in 
the  same  city,  and  has  recently  built  for  his  own  use,  a  very  elegant 
residence  at  the  "  East  End/'  on  Main  Street.  He  is  besides  the 
possessor  of  valuable  building  lots,  located,  many  of  them,  in  the 
heart  of  the  city,  which,  as  the  city  expands,  will  become  a  mine 
of  wealth  to  him. 

In  April,  1873,  Mr.  FERTIG  became -the  nominee  of  his  party, 
(Democratic,)  for  the  office  of  Mayor — a  distinction  he  neither 
sought  nor  declined.  His  opponent  was  the  then  Mayor  in  office, 
Dr.  "W.  B.  ROBERTS,  one  of  the  representative  and  popular  men 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  the  contest  was  a  sharp  and  decisive 
one.  Mr.  FERTIG  was  successful,  his  majority  being  nearly  500 — 
the  largest  ever  given  to  any  candidate  whose  election  had  been 
contested. 


Woodburytype.    A.  P.  H.  P.  Co.,  Philsi. 


JOHN  W.  HAMMOND. 


W      TT  A  TU-MVWTTV 


JktfIN  W.  HAMMOND. 

'Mr.  KAMFO,;*'  Is  a  native  <>t  <  VnIi;t-\  Jefionou   0-.',  ity,  N.  •••/ 
'ork,  '.vht'.pr  V  ->/a.-  born  oa  die  (?th  day  of  M^v,  182:;,      K-   \va-- 
tho  j.:<nu.h    of  :i  fcundy  of  twelve   children — sewn    sons   ?».:;.!     :vo 
daii'.rhtei's.,     \Vin.-h  Jit-  W;<H  hut  st'vo?i  years  ol'i.  )»::-•  Jktlvy-, 
onj^'ineer  and  sur^-yor,  dlr.d.  lo«rivi>*^  a  large  !an-:  ^i 

•ircuiTLstancts,  to  dio  sol"  v\*j're  05."  !  ,s   ?n<;th<:». 
vil  thi-!  oarly  -igo  Pfi!^;ns  to  havo  hud  ;    iv?i]i>:i:'.«j  •*-      •  ./•• 

r-'i-ilirie.^  and  rue  necessity  f«r  srlt-rffii.ir  .-!.••   arr<i  'l 

i 
H'K.ri  alter  tho  death  of  hi-3  father  ho  .soinrh:  !-ii'S  r  :^v  .:•  >  ^ji»s« 

native  t.  wiij  r  -t  ei  .d'.g  ^;>r  in's  Bervicen  So  a.  :  .<-:iSii,  ;^:uj  h-oiinii)^ 
!jini?-\lf.  f  v  u5;  :it  thi^  tin>e  nine  years  old,  "<i;d  h!  oppc  'innitic-ir: 
tor  soenrinci'  an  f^u.-t.iou  had  peen  vorv  li-i:iit.L  I  Jo  )...-!  uncud^d 
oliool,  hsAv^ver,  an  liad  learnc-i  ti  read.  B-.;}ond  Ti;i-  La.-  a<.''.'nri> 
ricnf1-  AS*! ••:  quite  limited  A?  opport-ui^ty  offered,  ;M,  .  ?.r.]>!</ye<i 
.'jis  h-'i^jre  hours  in  h'arniiig  i-  :  rite,  ;^id  n  obt^ini?:^  i  K-U<  wl-id^: 

'•.nnd.  r  r>f  the  •  ^r,  ?       .-«  pw-t  h,?vii.z  ix*ru  a,.»^*a'V">.!   Jo  >f^  ?•  -r 

J 

.1  ;    i  .-:."3x.rity  wardn>l  •>•••;    it>   ft  hand  val «*<'.,   ;<> -'/if.    by  Mr, 

.'•"XA.'.'-TiEi:  ]SIc>r\s>i.  t>"^;  a  •«••••  inump  me  iiuuii*.  of  C^tufe*^,  bat  now  ft 
'  '•  "ll-i  ,    .»>-:*  -irj  -.Hi  pj^oducor  of  prow**.'*?;**'-,  he  i.aa<? 
r.t  -:i,  N"r^w   York,  rn   lht>  ^•".•ML'   of  V-lV. 
p*«c«>mnieijdat ion    ho  held,    l;^r 
j).r(  •• ;  n  i  LH.nit  e.  t ti  /;eus,  he   r*r  i-u u/  s * 


' 


^ 


4AMMOND 


JOHN   W.    HAMMOND.  405 

• 

of  Titusville,  Pa., — whom,  we  should  have  before  said,  accompa- 
nied him  from  the  outset — resolved  to  return  to  Sacramento,  to 
remain  until  the  opening  of  spring  to  prosecute  their  mining  opera- 
tions. While  here  they  erected  a  building,  and  let  it  for  mercantile 
purposes— occupying  a  portion  for  the  conveniences  of  their  own 
business,  that  of  the  sale  and  transit  of  provisions  and  supplies  to 
the  mining  regions,  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Uba  river. 

In  the  spring  of  1850,  they  returned  to  the  mining  regions  of  the 
American  river,  their  party  consisting  of  but  four  persons.  Soon 
after  reaching  their  destination  they  resolved  to  change  the  current 
or  course  of  the  river,  the  better  to  enable- them  to  prosecute  their 
searches  for  the  precious  metal  in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  This  was 
a  great  undertaking  for  four  men ;  but  having  settled  upon  its 
necessity,  they  were  not  long  in  determining  to  accomplish  it. 
Four  months  of  labor,  such  as  few  men  can  endure,  saw  the  com- 
pletion of  their  undertaking,  and  the  old  bed  of  the  river,  bare 
before  them.  They  had  worked  sixteen  hours  a  day,  most  of  the 
time,  in  two  and  three  feet  of  water,  sleeping  at  night  in  swung 
hammocks,  and  subsisting  upon  food  not  over-abundantly  nutri- 
tious— but  their  work  was  accomplished,  and  they  looked  forward 
to  a  rich  harvest  of  golden  sands  and  nuggets,  from  the  great  river 
bed  now  spread  out  befere  them.  But  disappointment  lurks 
everywhere.  After  days  of  toil,  "panning  out"  the  mud,  and 
sand  of  the  old  river  bed,  they  found  "  neither  gold  nor  precious 
stones,"  in  paying  quantities,  but  only  the  gravel,  sand,  and  the 
debris  of  the  mountains,  which  were  yearly  cleared  out  by  the 
floods  and  replaced  by  melting  ice  and  snow  from  their  sides  and 
summits. 

Late  in  August  of  the  same  year — 1850 — the  mining  enterprise 
upon  the  American  River  was  abandoned,  and  the  party  divided, 
one  going  one  way,  and  another  •  another.  Young  HAMMOND 
resolved  to  go  to  Sacramento.  He  owned  a  mule,  had  a  small 
amount  of  money — about  $100 — and  so  he  started  down  the  Nevada 
Mountains  to  Sacramento,  now  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the 


406  HISTORY  OF   PETEOLEUM. 

most  beautiful  and  enterprising  cities  of  the  Golden  State,  and  since 
made  the  Capital  of  California.  When  he  reached  Sacramento, 
the  cholera  was  raging  with  fearful  fatality.  A  day  or  two  spent 
in  examining  the  situation,  convinced  him  of  one  great  need  to  the 
stricken  city  and  its  suffering  populace.  It  was  ice !  Promptly 
he  set  about  supplying  this  important  article.  He  purchased  an 
additional  mule,  bought  a  heavy  wagon,  and  set  out  for  the  snow- 
capped mountains  of  the  Sierras — 80  miles  distant.  Here  he  cut 
great  glaciers  of  ice  from  the  mountain  gorges ;  and  loading  them 
upon  his  wagon — a  ton  or  more — he  hastened  back  to  the  pestilent 
city.  "When  he  reached  Sacramento,  nearly  half  his  cargo  had 
melted  away  under  a  hot  August  sun.  But  he  had  ten  or  twelve 
hundred  pounds  left ;  and  this  he  sold  in  an  incredible  short  time 
at  one  dollar  per  pound  !  Besides  his  large  profits — over  $1, 000 — 
he  had  made  himself  a  benefactor,  and  all  classes  of  people  thanked 
— aye,  blessed  him  for  his  enterprise  and  foresight. 

This  undertaking,  and  its  wonderful  results,  set  the  whole  town 
in  a  furious  excitement.  It  was  a  bran  new  business,  and  large 
numbers  quickly  engaged  in  it.  The  prices  of  horses  and  mules 
advanced  in  a  very  few  days,  25  to  30  per  cent.,  and  long  trains  of 
teams  and  wagons  were  daily  seen  making  their  way  across  the 
valley  of  the  Sacramento  River,  to  the  perpetual  snow  and  ice 
regions  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  Mr.  HAMMOND,  after 
closing  out  his  stock  of  ice,  was  offered  an  almost  fabulous  price  for 
his  team  and  wagon,  to  which  was  to  be  added  correct  information  as 
to  the  sources  of  his  ice  supply.  He  accepted  the  terms  of  sale, 
and  quit  the  business  $1,500  richer  than  when  he  entered  the 
afflicted  city.  The  ice  traffic  was  subsequently  overdone,  and  the 
commodity  was  sold  before  the  season  was  over,  at  6  cents  per 
pound  both  at  Sacramento  and  San  Francisco,  and  points  interme- 
diate along  the  Sacramento  river. 

The  ice  enterprise  disposed  o'f,  Mr.  HAMMOND  went  largely  into 
the  traffic  in  horses  and  mules.  He  leased  a  tract  of  land  just  out- 
side the  city  limits,  on  the  great  emigrant  route  of  travel,  and  as 


JOHN    W.    HAMMOND.  407 

they  came  out  of  the  Nevada  Mountains,  their  teams  weary,  worn- 
out  and  foot-sore,  he  purchased  them  at  low  figures,  put  them  in 
condition  for  market,  and  re-sold  them  at  a  handsome  profit.  He 
continued  in  this  business  two  or  three  months,  or  as  long  as  it 
"paid,"  meanwhile,  he  made  money.  Late  in  October,  he  re- 
solved to  make  his  way  down  the  coast  to  San  Francisco,  and 
thence,  by  sea,  to  New  York  and  his  home. 

Arriving  at  San  Francisco  without  incident  or  accident,  he  soon 
after  engaged  passage  in  a  merchant  sailing  vessel,  that  had  been 
re-fitted  and  re^painted,  and  pressed  into  the  passenger  business, 
now  grown  to  enormous  proportions,  both  upon  the  Pacific  and 
Atlantic  sides  of  the  Isthmus.*  The  vessel,  "THE  TALMA," 
sailed  upon  the  advertised  day,  down  the  magnificent  bay  of  San 
Francisco,  out  through  the  Golden  Gate,  into  the  broad  expanse  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  For  days  and  days  they  "beat  against  the 
winds,"  and  made  little  progress.  They  ran  before  the  wind  two 
or  three  days  at  a  time,  passing  Honolulu  and  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
but  were  making  no  less  "  the  waste  of  waters  "  between  them  and 
their  destination — the  Isthmus.  Discontent  and  bitter  complaint 
were  heard  upon  every  hand.  They  should  have  made  the  voyage 
in  ten  to  twelve  days.  They  had  been  "  bounding  about  upon  the 
deep,"  for  nearly  thirty  days  !  Mutterings  of  disappointment  were 
becoming  more  and  more  audible.  To  add  to  their  calamity,  the 
ship's  provisions  were  nearly  exhausted,  and  their  fresh  water  sup- 
ply had  given  out !  Cholera  had  broken  out,  and  numbers  had 
died.  The  ship's  officers  would  give  no  satisfactory  replies  to  the 
reasonable  inquiries  of  those  who  approached  them  for  information. 

*  He  remained  at  San  Francisco  five  or  six  days,  waiting  for  the  vessel  to  sail. 
Meantime,  he  was  upon  the  look  out  for  his  brother,  Dr.  C.  B.  HAMMOND,  whom  he 
had  left  in  the  mountains  two  or  three  months  before,  and  had  not  since  seen.  The 
sequel  shows  that  the  Doctor  had  arrived  at  San  Francisco  about  the  time  his  brother 
reached  there,  and  had  engaged  passage  in  the  steamer  for  Panama,  and  that  the  ves- 
sel he  sailed  in  lay  alongside  the  merchantman  at  the  same  dock,  and  that  they  passed 
and  re-passed  each  other  daily  in  their  visits  to  their  respective  ships,  and  did  not 
meet !  The  Doctor  reached  home  in  due  time,  and  John  W.  had  an  overland  passage 
through  Mexico  and  up  the  Mississippi  River,  to  reach  the  same  port,  which  we 
detail  hereafter. 


408  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

The  passengers  counselled  together.  They  resolved  upon  a  despe- 
rate expedient  for  their  release  from  the  perils  that  confronted  them 
— a  seizure  of  the  officers  and  crew  with  a  view  to  compel  them  to 
steer  for  the  nearest  port !  They  promptly  executed  their  purpose, 
and  after  securing  the  captain  and  his  officers,  and  extorting  from 
one  of  their  number  a  promise  to  accede  to  the  wishes  of  their  cap- 
tors, they  were  released,  and  the  ship  headed  for  the  port  of  Acu- 
pulco,  on  the  coast  of  Mexico.  They  landed  there  after  a  drifting 
voyage  of  44  days  from  San  Francisco,  in  the  rotten  old  hulk  in 
which  they  had  been  induced  to  take  passage.  The  vessel  was 
there  seized  by  the  proper  authority,  and  after  a  thorough  examina- 
tion, was  condemned  as  unseaworthy,  and  sold  at  auction  for  the 
benefit  of  whom  it  concerned. 

From  this  point,  seventeen  of  the  passengers,  among  them  Mr. 
HAMMOND,  after  securing  horses  and  suitable  outfits,  guns,  pistols, 
bowie-knives  and  ammunition,  proceeded  across  the  Mexican  do- 
main, taking  in  the  City  of  Mexico  in  their  route,  to  Vera  Cruz. 
The  country,  as  ever,  was  infested  with  Guerilla  bands,  ready  to  rob 
and  murder  any  and  all  who  chanced  to  fall  into  their  hands — espe- 
cially Americans — towards  whom  the  people  of  Mexico  generally 
cherished  very  little  respect  or  admiration, — the  results  of  the  war 
their  own  insolence  had  brought  upon  them.  The  party,  how- 
ever reached  Vera  Cruz  in  safety,  and  found  the  steamer  Alabama 
ready  to  sail  for  New  Orleans.  Engaging  passages,  a  few  days 
later  they  landed  in  the  Crescent  City.  Mr.  HAMMOND  shortly 
after  left  for  his  home  in  northern  New  York,  which  he  reached  in 
due  time,  having  been  absent  about  two  years.  Upon  counting  up 
the  profits  of  his  trip  he  found  a  balance  in  hand  of  a  little  moie 
thap  $5,000. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  he  commenced  business  upon  his  own  ac- 
count in  the  city  of  New  York,  mainly  dealing,  in  a  wholesale  way, 
in  foreign  and  domestic  fruits,  to  which  he  added  a  general  com- 
mission business.  He  continued  in  this  lucrative  trade  for  many 
years,  establishing  for  himself  an  excellent  repute  as  a  merchant 


JOHN    W.   HAMMOND.  409 

and  successful  tradesman  of  undoubted  credit.  He  built  up  an 
extensive  and  profitable  business,  his  customers  and  patrons  being 
located  and  resident  in  almost  every  State  in  the  Union.  "While 
enjoying  this  deserved  prosperity,  in  1857,  he  married  the  grand- 
daughter of  his  first  employer,  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Caleb  Wat- 
kins. 

In  the  winter  of  1860,  and  '61,  he  visited  the  Oil  Regions,  more 
from  motives  of  curiosity  than  a  desire  for  investment.  He  had 
heard  much  of  the  wonderful  wealth  of  this  region  of  country,  and 
determined  to  see  it  for  himself.  He  had  meantime  disposed  of 
his  business  in  New  York  City,  and  counted  his  gains  and  re^ 
sources  at  $35,000  to  $40,000.  The  civil  war  was  impending,  and 
he  feared  the  consequences  upon  trade  and  commerce  generally,  and 
so  gave  up  his  lucrative  trade,  reserving  the  privilege  of  re-pur- 
chasing, at  the  end  of  twelve  months.  It  was  at  this  particular 
juncture  of  his  own  affairs,  and  the  threatened  national  calamity,  that 
he  came  into  the  Oil  Region — as  we  have  before  said,  with  no  in- 
tention either  to  invest  or  in  any  manner  engage  in  this  new  devel- 
opment of  nature's  great  riches.  Once  here,  however,  he  could 
not  resist  the  temptatiota  to  interest  himself  in  the  then  developing 
•wealth  of  the  locality.  He  secured  a  lease  of  Mr.  John  Watson,  on 
the  flats  below  Titusville,  and  shortly  after  contracted  for  the  drill- 
ing of  four  wells. 

Returning  to  New  York,  he  awaited  anxiously  reports  of  the  pro- 
gress of  his  enterprise.  He  could  get  no  word  from  his  contractors, 
and  becoming  impatient,  he  returned  and  superintended  the  work 
himself.  He  put  down  three  wells,  abandoning  the  fourth.  This 
was  in  the  spring  of  1861.  When  the  wells  started  up  they 
pumped  from  twelve  to  fourteen  barrels  each,  per  day,  and  these 
were  regarded  as  first-class  producers  !  Oil  was  selling  at  $  10  per 
barrel  when  these  wells  were  struck,  and  this  price  was  realized  for 
some  weeks  after.  Three  months  later,  however,  it  had  a  drag- 
ging sale,  at  $1.50  per  barrel !  This  was  in  consequence  of 
the  great  flowing  wells  of  Capt.  Funk,  and  others  on  the  lower 


410  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

McElhenny  Farm,  two  or  three  of  which  were  producing  largely, 
and  the  oil  from,  these  was  selling  at  the  wells  at  25,  50  and  75  cents 
per  barrel  ! 

Mr.  HAMMOND  was  not  long  in  .determining  upon  his  future  field 
of  operations.  His  pumping  wells  on  the  Watson  Flats  had  ceased 
to  be  remunerative.  He  therefore  resolved  to  go  into  the  "  flowing 
well  region."  Prior  to  this  time,  and  while  oil  was  selling  at  §10 
per  barrel,  some  gentlemen  at  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  had  begun  the 
erection  of  a  refinery,  and  Mr.  HAMMOND  secured  the  contract  for 
supplying  it  with  crude  for  refining.  The  terms  of  this  contract  were 
somewhat  remarkable,  and  we  deem  them  of  sufficient  interest  to  re- 
hearse in  this  connection.  The  chemist  employed  by  this  refining 
enterprise  had,  from  his  experiments,  made  himself  and  associates 
believe  he  could  realize  90  per  cent,  of  refined  oil  from  one  hun- 
dred barrels  of  crude !  He  had  demonstrated,  as  he  alleged,  that 
this  result  was  easily  and  practically  attainable.  With  this  scien- 
tific (?)  assurance  before  them,  the  proprietors  contracted  with  Mr. 
HAMMOND,  for  one  year's  supply  of  crude,  which  they  bound  them- 
selves to  manufacture  into  refined  oil,  giving  Mr.  HAMMOND  nearly 
one  half,  or  45  barrels  of  every  100  distilled  !  It  is  needless  to  add 
that  Mr.  HAMMOND  had  by  far  the  best  of  the  bargain. 

In  pursuance  of  this  contract,  Mr.  HAMMOND,  who  had  pre- 
viously met  Mr.  John  Fertig,  then  the  owner  of  a  large  flowing 
well  on  the  Upper  McElhenny  Farm,  entered  into  a  written  agree- 
ment with  him,  to  furnish  the  larger  part  of  the  oil  contracted  to  this 
Dunkirk  refinery,  at  $1.25  per  barrel,  at  the  well!  The  contract 
with  the  Dunkirk  parties  was  subsequently  greatly  modified,  and 
finally  wholly  surrendered  by  Mr.  HAMMOND,  after  realizing  a 
large  profit.  And  this  involved  the  cancelling  of  the  contract  with 
Mr.  Fertig,  which  resulted  in  the  purchase  by  Mr.  HAMMOND  of 
an  interest  owned  by  that  gentleman  in  the  old  "Fertig  Well"  and 
lease  on  the  Upper  McElhenny  Farm,  and  the  organizing  of  the 
firm  of  Fertig  &  Hammond,  a  sketch  of  which  is  given  herewith. 

Mr.  HAMMOND,  is  a  gentleman  of  rare  business  comprehension, 


JOHN     W.    HAMMOND.  411 

and  superior  executive  ability.  His  whole  career,  thus  far,  bears 
us  out  in  this  judgment  of  his  character.  His  life  has  been  a 
clearly  eventful  one,  but  he  has  been  equal  to  every  emergency. 
He  is  a  studious  man,  of  deep  reflection,  and  rapid  in  his  move- 
ments when  his  mark  is  set.  He  comprehends  readily,  and  this 
done  his  work  is  more  than  half  accomplished.  In  business 
circles,  Mr.  HAMMOND  is  known  as  an  eminently  practical  and 
careful  man.  His  investments  are  made  after  a  thorough  and 
rigid  examination  as  to  probable  results,  and  hence  it  is,  that  suc- 
cess has,  in  the  main,  followed  close  upon  all  his  financial  transac- 
tions. In  the  city  of  his  residence,  he  is  identified  with  whatever 
adds  to  her  growth  and  prosperity,  devoting  of  his  ample  means, 
liberal  sums  to  this  end.  In  private  life,  he  is  universally  es- 
teemed for  his  social  excellences,  and  for  the  warmth  and  stead- 
fastness of  his  friendships  and  attachments. 

As  before  remarked,  he  has  a  comprehensive  mind,  and  executive 
ability,  rarely  found  in  men  of  his  peculiar  mould.  Upright, 
honorable  and  free  from  conventionalisms  of  every  character, 
whereby  deception  is  fostered,  he  deals  squarely  and  fairly  with  all 
men,  and  matters  presented  to  him.  An  old  proverb  says,  that 
"  punctuality  is  the  politeness  of  kings."  Mr.  HAMMOND  illus- 
trates-the  truth  of  this  province  of  royalty,  by  a  punctuality  in  all 
his  engagements,  that  might  be  imitated  with  profit  by  others. 
A  man  of  generous  impulses,  he  gives  of  his  abundance  to  all 
worthy  charities  and  to  the  needy  poor  about  him.  He  is  yet  in 
middle  life,  possesses  a  rugged  constitution  and  unimpaired  health, 
and  bids  fair,  even  with  his  great  activity  of  brain,  to  live  to  a 
good  old  age,  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  a  thus  far,  profitable  and  well- 
spent  life. 


412 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


FERTIG  &  HAMMOND. 

THE  firm  of  FERTIG  &  HAMMOND  was  formed,  or  rather  terms 
of  co-partnership  were  entered  into,  soon  after  Mr.  HAMMOND 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  FERTIG  well  and  lease,  in  the  spring  of 
1861.  The  terms  of  this  partnership  were  simple,  and'  yet  amply 
comprehensive  for  the  men  who  made  it.  Only  "  HONOR  AND 
HONESTY,  THE  ONE  TO  THE  OTHER."  Upon  this  really  substantial 
foundation,  they  began  their  operations,  purchasing  interests,  sink- 
ing wells,  producing  and  refining  oil,  &c.,  &c. 

During  the  years,  1862-3,  they  added  four  new  wells  to  the 
"  Fertig  Well,"  on  the  same  lease.  These  were  all  excellent  pro- 
ducers, and  helped  to  swell  the  cash  balances  of  the  thrifty  and  in- 
dustrious owners  and  operators. 

In  the  fall  of  1861,  the  firm  built  a  refinery  at  Erie,  Pa.  The 
material,  stills,  &c.,  for  this  enterprise,  had  been  ordered  for,  and 
shipped  direct  to,  Titusville.  Reaching  Erie,  the  then  nearest 
Railway  station  to  the  oil  fields,  it  was  deemed  to  be  an  impossible 
task  to  remove  it  across  the  country  to  its  destination,  and  Mr. 
HAMMOND  promptly  resolved  to  put  it  into  operation  at  Erie.  He 
set  about  the  task  before  him,  and  in  21  days  from  its  commence- 
ment, the  refinery  was  in  running  order,  and  a  few  days  subsequent, 
a  car  load  of  Crude  Oil  was  refined,  and  shipped  to  an  eastern  con- 
signee. The  firm  subsequently  owned  and  operated  another  refinery 
at  Erie,  transporting  their  crude  oil  from  their  wells  on  the  Fertig 
lease,  on  the  Upper  McElhenny  farm. 

In  the  spring  of  1864,  they  put  down  one  well  on  the  widow 
McClintock  farm,  which  produced  for  a  long  time,  between  600 
and  700  barrels  per  day.  Jno.  W.  Steele,  since  so  famous  as  an 
"  oil  prince,"  was  at  this  time  the  owner  of  this  farm,  and  was  on 
and  after  this  time,  in  receipt  of  the  fabulous  sums  of  money  so 
generously  paid,  and  so  recklessly  wasted.  In  1863,  the  firm 
purchased  the  Young  farm  near  Titusville,  consisting  of  106  acres, 
paying  $2,800  for  it.  In  the  oil  land  speculations  of  the  following 


FERTIG   &   HAMMOND.  413 

year,  they  sold  it  for  $30,000 !  Two  years  thereafter,  they  re- 
possessed themselves  of  it,  at  a  Sheriff's  sale,  for  $3,000 — about 
its  value  for  farming  purposes  ! 

In  1864,  they  purchased  22  acres,  of  Custer  and  Drake's  addi- 
tion to  Titusville.  This  purchase  embraced  what  is  now  known  as 
Drake  street,  both  sides,  and  extending  Eastward  to  the  West  bounds 
of  lots  on  Kerr  St.,  and  Westerly  to  Martin  St.  The  tract  had 
been  surveyed  into  city  lots,  and  was  soon  after  offered  for  sale. 
The  rapid  growth  of  this  chief  city  of  the  Oil  Regions,  following 
the  revulsions  of  1864-5,  doubled  and  quadrupled  the  value  of 
these  lots,  and  the  profits  upon  this  transaction  alone,  were  very 
large.  The  last  of  this  property,  was  disposed  of  in  1872.  Before 
closing  this  part  of  the  history  of  the  operations  of  this  firm,  we  may 
state,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  at  least  one-tenth  of  all  the 
titles  to  city  property  in  Titusville,  bear  the  signatures  in  convey- 
ance, of  JOHN  FERTIG,  and  JNO.  W.  HAMMOND. 

In  the  summer  of  1864,  they  made  sales  of  their  interest  in  the 
Fertig  lease,  and  five  wells,  together  with  the  Hammond  Well  on 
the  widow  McClintock  Farm,  and  some  others  scattered  along 
"The  Creek,"  receiving  therefor  $220,000  in  cash,  and  a  consider- 
able amount  of  the  stock  of  "  The  Hammond  Oil  Co.,"  which  was 
soon  after  organized  with  a  capital  of  $500,000.  Several  hand- 
some dividends  were  made  upon  the  earnings  of  this  company,  and 
its  stock  at  one  time  was  quoted  above  par. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  the  firm  having  disposed  of 
many  of  their  valuable  oil  interests,  their  active  operations  lapsed, 
but  did  not  cease  altogether.  Mr.  HAMMOND  removed  to  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  purchased  a  handsome  residence  and  lands  ad- 
joining, which  he  afterwards  divided  into  city  lots,  disposing  of 
sufficient  to  make  his  investment  a  source  of  considerable  profit. 
Mr.  FERTIG  removed  to  Painsville,  Ohio,  still  making  Titusville 
his  business  head-quarters.  Both,  however,  were  occasionally  in 
the  region  buying,  selling  and  giving  attention  to  their  remaining 
interests  and  property. 


414  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

During  the  memorable  years  of  1865-6 — memorable  for  the  dis- 
asters and  revulsions  that  were  experienced  by  all  the  enterprises  of 
the  oil  region — Messrs.  FERTIG  &  HAMMOND  put  down  in  vari- 
ous localities,  or  were  interested  in  their  drilling,  including  Church 
Run,  Hyde  Town,  Pit  Hole,  Sweitzer  Farm,  Dawson  Centre  and 
elsewhere,  forty-five  wells,  without  obtaining  a  single  barrel  of  oil 
from  either!  Here  was  an  expenditure  of  nearly  or  quite  $100,- 
000,  and  no  return,  save  the  establishment  of  the  fact  that  the  ter- 
ritory they  had  tested  was  barren  and  dry  of  petroleum  deposits. 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1867,  they  put  down  the 
"  Maple  Shade  Well,"  at  Pleasantville,  which  proved  to  be  one  of 
the  best  in  that  rich  district.  Other  successful  investments  followed 
this,  throughout  the  years  1867-8-9  and  '70,  which  required  the 
attention  of  one  or  both  members  of  the  firm,  and  in  1870,  Mr. 
FERTIG  again  took  up  his  residence  in  Titusville.  Mr.  HAMMOND 
in  1870,  visited  Europe  in  search  of  health  and  recreation,  and  soon 
after  his  return  home,  or  in  1870,  removed  from  Utica,  N.  Y.,  to 
Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  now  resides. 

In  1869,  they  purchased  the  Dutchess  Farm,  at  Parker's  Land- 
ing. Jno.  L.  McKinney,  of  Titusville,  was  subsequently  admitted  as 
an  equal  partner  in  this  purchase,  and  shortly  after  a  small  portion  of 
it  was  sold  for  development.  It  proved  to  be  superior  oil  property, 
and  the  development  opened  up  an  entirely  new  field  of  explora- 
tions. In  the  spring  of  1870,  they  put  down  the  first  well  upon 
what  is  now  known  as  the  flourishing  borough  of  Foxburgh,  and 
later  we  find  them  leasing,  purchasing  and  developing  territory 
in  the  St.  Petersburg  District,  far  beyond  the  circuit  occupied  by 
others,  and  with  uniform  success. 

"  The  Keystone  National  Bank,"  and  "  The  Erie  Dime  Savings 
Bank,"  at  Erie,  Pa.,  were  organized  in  1868,  and  Mr.  HAMMOND 
and  Mr.  FERTIG  became  interested  in  both  as  stockholders,  and 
both  were  subsequently  elected  directors  of  each  of  these  institu- 
tions, and  are  now  holding  these  responsible  positions. 

In  1871,  they  established  "The  Foxburgh  Savings  Bank,"  with  a 


FERTIG   &   HAMMOND.  415 

capital  of  $100,000.  Mr.  HAMMOND  was.  elected  President,  and 
Mr.  FERTIG,  Yice-President — these  gentlemen  owning  a  majority 
of  the  stock.  The  St.  Petersburg  Savings  Bank  is  a  branch  of  the 
Foxburgh  institution,  and  both  are  upon  a  solid  basis,  and  are 
known  and  acknowledged  to  be  among  the  most  substantial  in  the 
Oil  Region. 

Of  course  we  are  unable  to  give  a  complete  detail  of  all  the  ex- 
tensive and  extended  operations  of  these  gentlemen  as  oil  produ- 
cers, nor  can  we,  in  this  connection,  mention  but  a  moiety  of  their 
multitude  of  financial  operations.  They  are  emphatically  men  of 
business.  They  are  to-day  the  owners  and  lessees  of  more  than 
four  thousand  acres  of  valuable  oil  tracts,  located  all  along  the  Al- 
legany  and  its  tributaries,  from  Parker's  Landing  to  Tidioute  and 
Titus ville,  which  under  their  skillful  control  must  bring  them,  in 
years  to  come,  wealth  untold. 

We  said  at  the  commencement  of  this  brief  sketch  of  the  career 
of  this  firm,  that  the  basis  of  their  co-partnership  was  "  honor  and 
honesty,  the  one  te  the  other."  When  they  concluded  to  go  on 
together,  both  agreed  to  this  proposition — "  When  either  deceives  or 
attempts  to  defraud  the  other,  the  partnership  ends"  This  was  the 
beginning  and  the  end  of  stipulations  between  them.  No  others 
have  ever  been  entered  into,  and  to  this  day — twelve  years  since 
the  firm  had  an  existence — no  WRITTEN  terms  of  co-partnership 
have  been  made,  and  none  exist.  Their  business  transactions  have 
from  year  to  year  largely  increased,  involving  at  times,  thousands 
and  thousands  of  dollars  in  capital  and  credit,  and  yet  no  man  can 
say  the  firm  of  FERTIG  &  HAMMOND  has  not  promptly  met  and 
discharged  every  obligation  it  has  assumed.  And  this  is  also  true 
of  each,  in  his  individual  operations.  This  has  been,  and  is  the 
character  they  have  established  for  themselves,  and  maintained 
through  a  series  of  years,  as  marked  and  remarkable  for  their 
changing  hues  of  depression  and  success,  as  for  the  wonderful  profit 
and  prosperity  brought  to  their  doors.  During  their  twelve  years 
of  co-partnership,  no  word  of  rebuke,  censure,  or  complaint  has 


416  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

passed  between  them — each  in  turn  approving  the  operations  of  the 
other,  where  the  firm's  interest  has  been  involved,  or  in  any  man- 
ner affected.  Of  course  they  have  made  some  losing  ventures; 
but  the  losses,  whatever  they  may  have  been,  have  been  mutually 
borne,  and  as  cheerfully  so  as  they  have  divided  their  large  gains. 
They  have  maintained  an  unsullied  and  an  unquestioned  credit, 
from  the  outset  of  their  business  connection,  by  promptly  meeting 
all  their  engagements,  and  discharging  all  their  liabilities  at  matu- 
rity. In  the  conduct  of  their  extensive,  and  steadily  augmenting 
financial  operations,  involving  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars, 
with  individuals,  with  corporations,  with  banks,  with  merchants 
and  manufacturers,  they  have  never  yet  been  under  protest !  A 
record  like  this  is  something  to  boast  of,  and  is  of  itself,  capital  in 
any  community,  or  for  any  enterprise,  and  we  question  if  the  annals 
of  many  commercial  circles,  near  or  remote,  afford  a  parallel  to  the 
facts  here  briefly  alluded  to. 


Wrwvihnrvtype.   A.  P.  R.P.  Co.,  Phila. 


DR.  W.   B.    ROBERTS. 


TVR.    W.    T*.    RORF.RTS. 


•     M     v,  ,,..     :  i  '•:•;?     i ;       *'• " 

:?n>,  ':',dy   .!   May     .'-i. 


v 


A   <^r    ni-; 

,'  i:    -OVTl  (if    N 


DR.   W.   B.   ROBERTS. 


419 


short  time  a  large  and  lucrative  business  was  established  and  an 
unbounded  credit  given  the  firm.  Its  drafts,  letters  of  credit,  &c., 
were  termed  "  gilt-edged,"  and  were  preferred,  and  commanded  a 
readier  sale  in  commercial  circles  than  any  house  in  Central  America. 

After  the  successful  establishment  of  this  Nicaragua  enterprise, 
he  again  turned  his  attention  to  his  profession,  and  in  connection 
with  his  brother,  Col.  E.  A.  L.  Roberts,  opened  an  elegant,  sump- 
tuously furnished  and  appointed  Dental  office  in  New  York  City. 
A  year  later  he  purchased  the  interest  of  his  brother,  and  located 
himself  in  Bond  street,  in  the  same  city,  where  he  continued  his 
practice  until  some  time  in  1868. 

The  position  Dr.  ROBERTS  held  in  the  Dental  profession  was 
always  marked  and  prominent.  He  received  the  First  Medal 
awarded  by  the  American  Institute,  for  the  best  artificial  teeth,  a 
distinction  which  at  once  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  men  of 
the  Science  of  Dentistry.  He  was  during  this  period,  Editor  and 
Proprietor  of  THE  NEW  YORK  DENTAL,  JOURNAL,  a  publication 
devoted  to  Dental  Science  and  interests,  and  continued  his  editorial 
connection  with  it  about  four  years,  its  columns  from  month  to 
month,  containing  from  his  pen,  many  of  the  most  practical  and 
useful  articles  upon  dentistry  ever  published.  He  was  one  of  the 
leading  spirits  in  the  organization  and  establishment  of  the  New 
York  Dental  College,  and  is  at  present  one  of  its  trustees. 

The  internal  feuds  of  Central  America,  had  grown  into  a  fearful 
civil  war,  destroying  values,  and  deranging  business  of  every  char- 
"acter.  The  new  firm  found  it  necessary  to  close  their  commercial 
relations  with  that  country,,  and  to  this  end  Dr.  ROBERTS  revisited 
Nicaragua.  After  months  of  hardship,  endured  in  traversing* 
swamps,  mule  paths  and  unbroken  jungle  fields  with  hair-breadth 
escapes  from  bullets,  banditti  and  yellow  fever,  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  camp  of  the  insurgents,  accomplished  the  object  of  his 
mission,  and  returned  home,  with  the  ills  incident  to  that  climate 
fastened  upon  him,  and  these  clung  to 'him,  resisting  all  medical 
appliances,  for  nearly  a  year. 


420  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1863,  Dr.  EGBERTS  was  appointed  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Bellows,  President  of  the  National  Sanitary  Commission, 
an  agent,  to  visit  Gen.  Hunter's  Division,  then  having  its  head- 
quarters at  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  to  examine  into  the  condi- 
tion, sanitary  and  otherwise  of  that  portion  of  the  Union  Army. 
To  complete  this  duty,  required  a  month's  time,  and  upon  his  re- 
turn, his  report  was  published  in  full  in  THE  NEW  YORK  DENTAL 
JOURNAL,  and  widely  copied  and  commended,  throughout  the 
Northern  States.  It  contained  a  detailed  account  of  his  visits  to 
the  various  camps  of  our  soldiers,  and  was  exhaustive  in  practical 
suggestions  for  the  amelioration  of  their  condition  in  all  regards. 

In  the  Spring  of  1864,  he  was  induced  to  subscribe  to  the  stock 
of  an  oil  company,  scores  of  which  were  at  this  time  "  beating 
about"  for  patrons.  This  "investment"  proved  like  many  others 
of  its  co temporaries,  to  be  a  permanent  one.  Dr.  ROBERTS,  upon 
visiting  the  Oil  Region,  soon  after  this  venture,  found  his  large 
tract  of  oil  territory  located  miles  away  from  developments,  and 
where  none  but  speculators  in  oil  stock  companies  would  think  of 
looking  for  oil  wells.  This  investment  remains  unproductive,  and 
is  likely  to  remain  so,  "  as  long  as  grass  grows  and  water  runs." 
His  visit,  however,  he  turned  to  good  account,  for  he  made  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  then  producing  regions  of  "the 
Creek,"  and  settled  into  the  conviction  that  wealth  untold  coursed 
through  the  rocks  beneath,  and  that  with  capital,  business  tact  and 
mechanical  skill  it  could  be  brought  forth.  On  his  return  to  New 
York  City,  he  sought  to  enlist  his  brother,  E.  A.  L.  Roberts,  in 
his  plans  for  developing,  by  tendering  him  the  superintendency  of 
^ome  wells  he  had  resolved  to  put  down.  Col.  R.  declined  the 
position,  but  suggested,  that  he  had  an  enterprise  of  far  more  value, 
and  if  the  Doctor  would  furnish  the  necessary  capital  to  test  his 
torpedo,  he  would  assign  him  a  half  interest.  A  theoretical  exami- 
nation convinced  Dr.  R.  that  not  only  was  the  torpedo  of  vital  im- 
portance to  the  uses  intended,  but  he  saw  a  mine  of  wealth  in  it, 
and  promptly  accepted  the  proposition  of  his  brother,  Col.  Rob- 


DE.    W.   B.   EGBERTS.  421 

erts,  and  entered  heartily  into  his  plans  for  testing  its  practica- 
bility. 

In  January,  1865,  Col.  ROBERTS  went  to  Titus  ville,  having  pre- 
viously made  six  torpedoes,  to  test  their  power  and  efficiency. 
Meantime,  application  for  a  patent  had  been  made.  The  experi- 
ments were,  in  all  respects,  successful;  and  not  only  the  utility, 
but  the  necessity  for  blasting  oil  wells  to  increase  their  production, 
was  established.  This  accomplished,  the  Torpedo  became  a  fixed 
fact,  and  a  rich  harvest  awaited  the  enterprising  discoverer.  But 
this  was  not  to  be  had  without  an  effort.  Others  sought  to  super- 
sede the  ROBERTS'  discovery,  and  filch  from  them  the  rewards  of 
their  genius  and  enterprise.  Half  a  dozen  applications  were  filed 
in  the  Patent  Office  at  Washington  for  torpedoes  for  like  uses,  and 
the  claims  of  the  contestants  were  two  years  in  traversing  the 
various  departments  of  the  patent  boards,  and  finally  taken  to  the 
United  States  District  Court,  before  Judge  Carter,  where  the  pri- 
ority of  invention  was  awarded  to  ROBERTS,  as  had  been  the  result 
in  all  preceding  examinations,  to  reach  that  point.  Dr.  ROBERTS 
had  the  management  of  all  these  litigations,  acting  as  attorney  for 
the  patentee,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  found  himself  "  master 
of  the  situation."  The  patent  was  issued  to  his  brother,  and  upon 
counting  the  cost  of  the  whole  effort,  it  was  found  to  be  less  than 
is  ordinarily  paid  now  to  an  attorney  as  "  a  retainer  "  in  an  impor- 
tant suit. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  he  organized  THE  ROBERTS  PETROLEUM 
TORPEDO  COMPANY.  In  1866,  he  was  elected  its  Secretary,  and 
in  1867  its  President,  which  responsible  position  he  now  holds. 

In  the  fall  of  1866,  he  was  elected  to  the  Common  Council  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  for  two  years,  and  served  his  constituents 
faithfully  and  well.  Although  a  pronounced  Republican,  and  a 
candidate  in  a  strong  Democratic  district,  he  was  elected  by  a  hand- 
some majority.  In  a  political  minority  in  the  Board  of  Council- 
men,  he  yet  very  soon  after  becoming  a  member  of  it,  assumed  a 
prominent  position  among  his  colleagues,  and  before  the  public. 


422  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

In  the  Council  of  1867-8,  he  was  the  recognized  leader  of  the  Re- 
publican minority,  and  in  the  winter  of  1868,  was  the  candidate  of 
his  party  for  President  of  that  body,  the  vote  standing  13  Demo- 
crats to  11  Republicans.  • 

In  the  summer  of  1867,  he  visited  Europe  in  quest  of  health 
and  recreation.  He  visited  various  portions  of  France,  Switzer- 
land, Austria,  Prussia,  Holland,  Belgium,  England,  Ireland,  &c. 
In  1868,  he  removed  to  Titus ville,  surrendering  his  lucrative  prac- 
tice in  New  York,  that  he  might  give  his  undivided  attention  to 
his  growing  interests  in  the  oil  region.  The  torpedo  infringements 
were  assuming  proportions,  and  Dr.  ROBERTS  reluctantly  entered 
upon  the  defence  of  his  rights  and  franchises  in  that  direction,  and 
after  months  and  months  of  labor,  and  the  expenditure  of  a  hand- 
some fortune,  success  crowned  his  efforts,  the  courts  sustaining  the 
Torpedo  patent  at  every  stage  of  the  proceedings. 

During  his  residence  in  Titusville  he  has,  with  a  liberality  rarely 
exhibited,  expended  thousands  of  dollars  in  the  erection  of  substan- 
tial and  elegant  business  blocks,  which  have  gone  far  to  make  the 
city  of  his  residence  the  pride  of  its  people  and  the  emporium  of 
the  oil  regions. 

In  March,  1872,  he  became  the  candidate  of  his  fellow-citizens 
for  Mayor ;  and  though  opposed  by  one  of  the  strongest  men  of 
the  opposition,  a.fter  a  hotly  contested  canvass,  he  was  elected  by  a 
large  majority. 

When  the  "  South  Improvement  Company  "  threatened  the  pros- 
perity and  very  life  of  the  oil-producing  interest,  Dr.  ROBERTS 
was  the  first  to  raise  his  voice  against  it,  and  penned  the  first  call 
for  a  public  meeting.  In  all  the  subsequent  struggles  with  this 
towering  monopoly,  he  was-  foremost  and  persistent  in  his  efforts  to 
strangle  it,  even  before  it  had  a  being.  At  the  first  meeting  of 
producers,  held  at  the  Opera  House,  in  Titusville,  to  devise  mea- 
sures to  thwart  the  schemes,  of  this  company,  Dr.  ROBERTS  was  a 
leading  spirit,  and  by  his  wise  counsel  and  determined  voice,  did 
much  to  crush  the  monster  monopoly.  To  his  energy  and  charac- 


DK.    W.    B.    EGBERTS.  423 

teristic  enterprise  is  largely  due  the  present  flattering  prospects  for 
the  early  completion  of  the  Buffalo  &  Titusville  Railroad.  When 
this  subject  was  presented  to  him,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  embrace 
the  earliest  opportunity  to  give  it  his  powerful  aid  by  becoming  a 
subscriber  to  its  capital  stock  in  the  princely  sum  of  $50,000. 
When  subsequently  an  organization  was  perfected,  he  was  unani- 
mously chosen  President  of  the  Corporation. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  18.72,  he,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
E.  A.  L.  Roberts,  and  John  Potter,  Esq.,  of  Meadville,  L.  B. 
Silliman,  of  Titusville,  organized  a  banking  firm  at  Titusville, 
under  the  name  of  ROBERTS  &  Co.,  BANKERS,  Mr.  JNO.  PORTER, 
Cashier.  It  is  among  the  most  substantial  monied  institutions  of 
the  oil  regions,  and  indeed  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania — with  an 
ample  capital,  an  unlimited  credit,  unquestioned  public  confidence 
and  a  business  ability  of  the  highest  order,  this,  like  all  the  enter- 
prises Dr.  ROBERTS  puts  his  mind  and  efforts  upon,  is  to  be  a 
bountiful  success. 

The  ancestors  of  this  branch  of  the  ROBERTS  family,  were  dis- 
tinguished both  in  the  diplomacy  and  in  the  sterner  realities  of  war. 
The  great-grandfather  on  the  maternal  side,  Andre  Everard  Van 
Braam,  was  the  second  embassador  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Com- 
pany to  the  Court  of  Pekin,  China,  and  in  this  capacity  perfected 
the  treaty  with  the  Chinese  government,  that  enabled  the  Holland- 
ers to  hold  and  control  the  trade  of  that  peculiar  people  so  many 
years,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  nations.  He  was  also  the  pub- 
lisher of  one  of  the  first  books  in  the  English  and  French  lan- 
guages,, detailing  the  habits,  customs  and  peculiarities  of  that  won- 
derful people. 

The  great-grandfather  on  the  paternal  side  was  a  distinguished 
officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  a  native  of  Wales, 
England,  and  at  one  period  an  officer  in  the  British  Army.  When 
the  mother  country  resolved  to  subdue  her  rebellious  colonists  in 
America,  Col.  Owen  Roberts  was  a  citizen  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  and  patriotically  espoused  the  cause  of  his  adopted  coun- 


424  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

try.  He  was,  however,  tendered  his  commission  in  His  Majesty's 
service,  which  he  promptly  and  indignantly  declined,  defiantly  re- 
turning as  his  answer,  his  assurances  of  devotion  to  the  laud  of  his 
adoption,  and  an  avowal  of  his  determination  to  "  stand  by  her  for- 
tunes, come  weal  or  come  woe."  When  hostilities  began,  he  was 
commissioned  a  Colonel  of  the  4th  South  Carolina  Artillery,  and  was 
subsequently  killed  at  the  battle  of  Stono,  while  gallantly  leading 
his  command  in  an  effort  to  prevent  the  landing  of  British  troops 
at  that  point.  Mortally  wounded  by  a  cannon  ball  through  one 
of  his  lower  limbs,  he  was  carried  from  the  field  and  placed  under 
the  shade  of  a  tree  and  out  of  the  range  of  the  battle,  still  raging. 
His  son,  Richard  Brooks  Roberts,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  learning  of  the  terrible  disaster  to  his  father,  hastened 
to  his  side.  (See  Alexander  Garden's  Anecdotes  of  the  Revolution.) 
His  father,  observing  the  emotions  of  his  son,  said  :  "  Take  this 
sword,  which  has  never  been  tarnished  by  dishonor,  and  never 
sheathe  it  while  the  liberties  of  your  country  are  in  danger.  Accept 
my  last  blessing,  and  return  to  your  duty."  A  short  time  after  he 
breathed  his  last,  upon  the  spot  where  his  comrades  had  placed 
him.  His  son,  Richard  B.  Roberts,  was  a  youth,  scarcely  eighteen 
years  of  age,  holding  a  captain's  commission  in  his  father's  regi- 
ment. He  faithfully  and  patriotically  lived  up  to  his  father's 
dying  injunctions,  remaining  in  the  service  of  his  country  until  the 
close  of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  and  after,  and  was  commis- 
sioned a  Major  in  the  regular  army  by  General  Washington.  He 
died  at  the  early  age  of  37,  leaving  three  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom 
was  Lucius  Qnintius  Cincinnatus  Roberts,  father  of  Dr.  W.  B., 
and  Col.  E.  A.  L.  Roberts.  This  name  was  given  him  in  honor 
of  the  Cincinnati  Society,  of  which  he  was  a  distinguished  member, 
and  to  the  privileges  of  which,  his  eldest  son  attained,  upon  his 
father's  death. 

Dr.  ROBERTS  is  a  man  of  marked  characteristics,  mentally  as 
well  as  physically.  In  person  he  is  about  six  feet  in  height,  with 
a  well  knit,  powerful  frame,  capable  of  enduring  any  physical  effort 


DR.   W.   B.   ROBERTS.  425 

he  may  undertake.  Rarely,  and  we  may  add  difficult  to  arouse,  he 
seems  always  to  be  of  an  even  temper,  and  absolutely  free  from 
mental  excitement.  He  is,  however,  a  profound  thinker,  and 
never  discharges  a  subject  that  at  any  time  engrosses  his  attention, 
without  fully  comprehending  it,  in  all  its  points  and  bearings. 
Having  done  this  he  is  riveted,  so  to  speak,  to  his  convictions  and 
conclusions,  and  will  defend  both  with  consummate  skill  and  de- 
termination. When  thoroughly  awakened  upon  any  matter  of 
personal  or  public  concern,  he  does  not  hesitate  to  give  the  whole 
weight  of  his  personal  and  intellectual  power  to  the  issue  before 
him,  and  seldom  with  doubtful  results. 

In  his  private  intercourse  he  is  sociable  and  companionable, 
drawing  men  to  him  as  if  by  magic,  and  retaining  their  friendship 
and  confidence  ever  after.  In  business  circles  he  is  known  for  his 
reliability,  and  for  the  sacredness  which  he  attaches  to  his  promises 
and  pledges.  Notwithstanding  the  vast  wealth  he  represents,  he  is 
a  plain  liver,  unostentatious  in  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, and  frugal  and  temperate  in  all  his  daily  walk  and  life.  In 
all  public  enterprises  promising  advantage  and  prosperity  to  the 
city  of  his  residence,  he  is  foremost  with  voice  and  means  to  secure 
the  coveted  prize.  He  is  generous  and  confiding  toward  personal 
friends,  kind  and  benevolent  to  the  poor,  giving  with  a  willing 
and  bountiful  hand  to  relieve  those  who  have  claims  upon  the 
charity  of  their  more  fortunate  fellows.  Dr.  ROBERTS  is  not  the 
man  to  shirk  any  responsibility  that  may  fairly  be  put  upon  him, 
and  when  he  sees  his  way  clear — and  he  never  moves  till  this  is 
reached — he  advances  with  resolute  step.  In  business  circles  he  is 
recognized  for  reliability  and  undoubted  sagacity.  In  council  he  is 
cool,  but  never  timid,  and  generally  carries  those  who  consult  with 
him  over  to  his  own  convictions. 

He  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  in  the  height  of  his  prosperity 
and  usefulness.  If  life  and  health  are  spared  him  he  is  destined 
to  fill  an  important  place  in  the  public  esteem,  confidence  and  ser- 
vice. 


426  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


SAMUEL  Q.  BROWN.* 

PLEASAJSTVILLE,   PA. 

No  other  modern  enterprise,  so  plainly  as  the  development  of 
Petroleum,  has  demonstrated  the  fact,  that  endowed  as  he  is,,  with 
the  highest  faculties  bestowed  upon  the  creations  of  an  Almighty 
God,  man  still  needs  opportunity,  before,  with  all  his  reason,  with 
all  his  cultivation,  with  all  his  wonderful  capabilities,  he  can 
achieve  that  success  which  will  leave  the  impress  of  his  career  upon 
the  world,  the  state,  or  the  community — in  any  degree  upon  the 
generation  in  which  he  has  lived,  or  the  generations  that  follow. 

Not  overlooking  the  importance  of  preparation,  or  the  value  of 
experience,  this  is  so  palpably  the  truth,  that  none  but  a  very  -suc- 
cessful man  would  ever  deny  it ;  and  even  a  very  successful  man 
would  only  deny  it  in  so  far,  as  to  claim  that  himself,  had  created 
the  opportunity. 

Men  who  succeed  are  prone  to  believe  in  themselves ;  men  who 
fail  are  sure  to  believe  in  Fate.  The  wisest  probably  believe  in 
neither.  But  it  is  very  natural  that  a  successful  man  should  seek  to 
enhance  the  merit  of  his  success  by  overrating  the  difficulties  sur- 
mounted ;  and  it  is  equally  natural  for  the  unsuccessful  man  to 
excuse  his  failure  by  attributing  it  to  a  power  beyond  his  control. 

The  many  instances  in  which  the  plain  sons  of  Yenango  County, 
not  unlettered  always,  but  certainly  uneducated  in  the  management 
of  any  but  the  scantiest  finances,  seized  the  opportunity  of  "  that 
tide  in  the  affairs  of  men  which,  taken  at  its  flood,  leads  on  to  for- 
tune," would  seem  to_.  encourage  a  belief  in  the  theory  of  "  mute, 
inglorious  Miltons ;"  for  who  can  doubt  that  without  the  opportu- 
nity afforded  by  the  development  of  Petroleum,  they  must  have 

*  No  Photograph  furnished. 


SAMUEL  Q.  BROWN.  427 

lived  and  died,  not  useless  perhaps,  but  certainly  obscure ;  whereas 
taking  advantage  of  opportunity,  many  have  developed  into  the 
most  extensive,  intelligent  and  successful  financiers  the  commercial 
history  of  the  country  can  boast.  Prominent  among  these  stands 
the  man  whose  history  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  imperfect  sketch  to 
record. 

SAMUEL  Q.  BROWN  was  born  at  Pleasantville,  "Venango  Co.  Pa., 
on  the  19th  of  September,  1835.  His  parents  had  formerly  lived  in 
the  City  of  New  York,  where  his  father  was  at  one  time  engaged 
in  commercial  pursuits.  But  being  a  man  of  sensitive  religious 
convictions,  and  believing  that  a  family  of  children  would  be  less 
exposed  to  temptation,  and  could  be  more  easily  reared  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,  in  the  country,  he  determined  to  remove  thither,  and, 
together  with  a  number  of  other  families  of  some  means,  employed 
an  agent  to  come  to  what  was  then  (1833,)  the  "West,"  and,  after 
careful  inspection,  select  a  location  for  the  little  colony. 

The  agent  looked  upon  Crawford  County  as  offering,  in  the  great- 
est degree,  the  advantages  required ;  but,  instead  of  locating  the 
farms  together,  he  selected  them  several  miles  apart,  and  fixed 
upon  a  spot  for  Mr.  BROWN  in  the  howling  wilderness  several  miles 
above  Titusville. 

Leaving  his  wife  to  come  on  with  the  household  effects  and  *a 
stock  of  merchandise — for  it  was  his  intention  to  unite  with  his 
farming,  the  business  of  a  small  country  store — by  way  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  then  the  great  thoroughfare  to  the  West,  Mr.  BROWN  has- 
tened across  the  country,  via  Harrisburg,  to  prepare  in  advance, 
the  home  for  her  reception. 

When  he  came  to  view  the  land,  he  was  so  disappointed  and 
disgusted  with  the  selection  of  the  agent  that  he  went  at  once  to 
Pleasantville,  where  there  were  already  several  thrifty  settlers,  and 
established  a  home. 

When  his  wife  joined  him,  they  found  the  prospect  so  unpromis- 
ing, that  they  determined  to  return  to  New  York,  as  soon  as  their 
stock  of  merchandize  could  be  disposed  of,  and  for  more  than  half 


428 


HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


a  year,  left  the  most  of  their  household  goods  packed,  prepared  to 
return  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  But  to  sell  the  merchandize, 
he  had  to  let  the  goods  go  on  credit,  and  before  he  could  make 
collections  the  family  became  so  attached  to  the  place,  and  the 
hearty  hospitality  which  always  characterizes  new  settlements,  that 
they  were  willing  to  remain,  and  two  years  after  their  arrival  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  was  born. 

He  obtained  a  good  common-school  education,  and  was  even 
prepared  for  a  classical  course  in  Allegany  College,  at  Meadville, 
then  in  a  very  prosperous  condition,  and  having  some  four  hundred 
students  ;  but  he  only  completed  the  freshman  year,  for  feeling  ill 
from  exposure,  he  lingered  in  a  critical  condition  for  several  years, 
which  prevented  the  renewal  of  his  studies,  and  after  final  recovery, 
which  was  not  till  he  had  nearly  attained  his  majority,  he  gave  up 
the  notion  of  a  collegiate  education,  and  after  a  preparatory  com- 
mercial course  at  Duff's  college,  in  Pittsburgh,  he  joined  his  father 
in  the  management  of  the  store  in  Pleasantville. 

For  the  place  and  time,  his  educational  advantages  were  excep- 
tional. Both  parents  had  taken  great  interest  in  the  cultivation  of 
his  mind,  and  his  natural  aptitude  for  study  was  evinced  by  the 
remarkable  fact,  that  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  entered  college. 

-  There  was  very  little  of  incident  in  his  life  up  to  the  year  1859  ; 
nothing  at  all,  but  the  careful  management  of  a  very  small  country 
store,  to  fit  him  for  that  brilliant  financial  career,  which  afterward 
distinguished  him  among  the  remarkably  brilliant  and  active  set  of 
men,  brought  out  in  that  eventful  period  of  history. 

A  few  weeks  after  the  discovery  of  petroleum,  in  1859,  Mr. 
BROWN,  in  connection  with  Messrs.  Mitchell  and  Rouse,  obtained 
control  of  the  Buchanan  farm  at  Rouseville,  which  soon,  under  their 
management,  became  one  of  the  best  producing  farms  on  the  Creek. 
In  the  year  1864,  after  having  thoroughly  developed  this  farm  by 
the  sinking  of  nearly  a  hundred  wells  by  lessees,  and  producing 
great  quantities  of  oil,  Mr.  BROWN  put  the  property  into  the  "  Bu- 
chanan Farm  Oil  Company,"  with  a  capital  stock  of  four  million 
dollars,  realizing  by  the  transaction  himself  one  million  dollars. 


SAMUEL    Q.  BROWN.  429 

He  at  once  established  a  broker's  office  in  Philadelphia,  and  the 
following  year  one  in  New  York,  and  dealt  extensively  and  suc- 
cessfully in  oil  stocks  (after  which  people  were  at  that  time  crazy ;) 
travelling  by  night  from  one  city  to  the  other,  and  devoting  alter- 
nate days  to  the  business  of  each  office. 

Among  other  companies  organized  by  Mr.  BROWN,  was  "The 
Titus  Oil  Company/'  He  also  put  the  Rynd  Farm  into  a  stock 
company,  in  connection  with  several  other  owners  of  the  property. 

Among  the  most  useful  acts  -of  his  career  was  obtaining  the 
charter  of  the  Farmers'  Railroad  along  Oil  Creek,  which,  owing 
to  the  opposition  of  Senator  Scott,  he  was  unable  for  several  years 
to  accomplish.  The  original  charter  was  granted  for  a  horse-power 
railroad,  and  after  it  had  been  extended  to  the  employment  of 
steam-power,  Mr.  BROWN  disposed  of  the  charter  to  Messrs.  Bis- 
sell,  Bishop  and  others,  who  constructed  the  Oil  Creek  Railroad. 

In  1862,  the  first  pipe  line  was  chartered  by  him  in  connection 
with  others,  but  its  purpose  was  only  to  con-duct  the  oil  from  the 
wells  along  the  Creek  to  Oil  City,  and  thus  obviate  the  expensive 
and  disastrous  system  of  pond-freshet  conveyance  by  which  great 
quantities  of  oil  were  lost. 

The  joints  employed,  however,  were  such  a  poor  affair  that  on  ac- 
count of  leakage  the  enterprise  was  abandoned,  and  Mr.  BROWN 
afterwards  sold  out  to  a  gentleman  who  carried  the  matter  to  per- 
fection and  covered  the  region  with  a  net-work  of  pipes  to  conduct 
the  oil  to  the  principal  shipping  and  storing  points. 

In  1866,  Mr.  BROWN  became  partner  in  a  large  mercantile  house 
in  New  York,  continuing  his  connection  with  the  wholesale  and 
retail  branch  at  Pleasantville,  for  the  Oil  Region. 

A  few  months  later,  he  married  Miss  Lamb,  of  his  native  vil- 
lage, an  estimable  woman  whom  he  had  known  from  childhood. 
Shortly  afterwards/  he  was  taken  down  with  hemorrhage  of  the 
lungs,  which  prostrated  him  for  the  rest  of  the  summer,  and  kept 
him  for  weeks  at  the  very  point  of  death. 

But,  though  a  delicate  person  in  appearance,  and  though  all  at- 


430  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

tention  to  a  naturally  fragile  physique,  had  been  overlooked  in  the 
absorbing  enterprises  of  the  last  few  years  of  his  life,  the  spark  of 
vitality  that  still  remained,  proved  sufficient  to  recuperate  him,  and 
in  the  winter  of  1867-68,  he  travelled  in  the  Southern  States,  by 
which  he  was  so  benefited  that,  when  the  excitement  following  the 
discovery  of  oil  at  Pleasantville  commenced,  he  was  able  to  return, 
and  take  an  active  part  in  the  development  of  his  own  territory,  of 
which  he  held  several  hundred  acres  in  the  vicinity,  that  proved 
to  be  among  the  best  in  that  field. 

By  this  happy  turn  of  affairs,  the  large  fortune  he  had  already 
acquired,  was  greatly  increased,  and  Mr.  BROWN  stands  now  among 
the  richest  men  in  the  oil  region. 

His  religious  convictions  are  very  decided,  and  though  a  "  suc- 
cessful man,"  his  success  has  never  lessened  his  reliance  on  the 
directing  care  of  Providence.  Though  a  Presbyterian  himself, 
he  still  has  encouraged  the  establishment  of  every  other  denomi- 
nation, in  his  village,  by  liberal  donations,  and  the  Christian 
hospitality  that  so  beautifully  distinguishes  his  own  charming 
home,  is  by  no  means  restricted  to  so  narrow  a  sphere.  He  is 
still  in  the  prime  of  life — only  thirty-seven — and  the  busy  life 
through  which  he  has  already  passed,  will  probably  be  crowned  by 
many  years  of  even  more  extended  usefulness. 

Mr.  BROWN  opened  a  banking  establishment  at  Pleasantville,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Mitchell  which,  on  a  dissolution,  was  carried 

on  under  the  firm  of  S.  Q.  Brown  & ;  this  firm  was  during 

the  present  year  superceded  by  a  stock  company,  called  the  "  Plea- 
santville Banking  Co.,"  with  the  subject  of  our  sketch  as  President. 
Mr.  Brown  is  the  senior  partner  of  the  extensive  mercantile  house 
of  Brown  Bros.,  of  Pleasantville. 


Woodburyt.M*.    A.  P.  R.  P.  Co..  Phila. 


J.   L.   GRANDIN 


J\    L.    GRAN  7)1  JST. 


J.    L.   GRAND 


.PA. 


Fx'  preparing  tf;  :  bi--i£ruplliflaJ  sket'-hes  vhieli 
form  so  important      r-ivf  ••<»'  thi*  ivork,  it  h.-is  been  the  idm  of  the 
mitl.or  to  st'.Lct  tor  special  referent  gentlemen  promi:vimv  ide'U'- 
-!r'.H.Ij   first  and  Lvst,  with   die  production   •>!'  Perro!«  »u.*i  m  V^csterh 
I'eniLsylvania,  and.known  tu?   sa<-«:essfb!  opc-rntors,   :>/•   rht-st    vrh»> 
ptand  in  the  front  rank,  in  one  or  ani.ni.UT  «..?•? -.I.JM -b   of"  ;!»-.'  *j~  :^V'^ 
vaeut  of  thii-'  woudertiil  phenomeiifi  HUU   tiTt        w-i'-.:-. 
jority  of  thv-i-H!.  have   been  individuML  ';,;>.- -r,     •  i.  ^     .    r--<; . '  .  "«• 
varied  enterprise  have  been  briefly  d^-^t;-j         ;  }>«..  ,/(:^ 

the  render  to  comprehend  the  magnitude  'I'M.  su#.j  -  >«  o  JK- 
•e!at»o rating,  ai-i  liiaa  u>  realize,  MS  S!-H-  -v^'1^  -it.  ..st,  'l-'*  vj.'Si 
amount  of  labor  -and  capital  involved  wit.-;  .>;-,- r.; --.-1":!1  t>>i,J:.iet. 
Froin  the  earliest  dp ys  of  the  petroleum  di,^c«  »  -TL-  •-  iri  'uestcrr« 
Pennsylvania-,  "  tho  GRANDLSTB"  at  Tiili.-«iite  Juivt  been  .:dvau<«d 
and  advancing  producers  aa«  1  operat<>r-?  largely  sue*. fospfu)  ;!u-.^  al- 
ways reliable  and  i'ij!r-^-j;}tatri:>*  men  of  the  Oil  Ii«..;,"!oi.i. 
SAMUEL,  GRAyT.v;.,v,  the  fet.-'-r  of  tht*  thrt-M-5  broruers  (rRAN"?rh. 
•;:-3  a  pioneer  i*j  f>*farrt  '•  •.^"!vraim,"Im%-m^  remove*!  u?  AOc:- 
^;.u;  Township  'js^r  Pk/^v1-  v '.;.'•  V -.rfia.!^  ^'ounty,  tro.i«  N't:w 


•n  1822,  and  sub**  ,:v*  ,,-.  :v  »>-&A  •>»  ;   :!1  -if  ?;:vr»"«^v\t:iy  cultivated 
'iaiiy  years,  ij,.^:- -f -..!•*  •"•v-:'    *-*!•    itt.t^    8*.wl*i-f:*   oi    his 

-  «-y   and   rJnV'%  ^iS^s^WMSW^t1* 

.»•;<?    ^r^-.i    \kv^.;,*-,     SH^Me-*.  ^    '*;'x     mtf?*>      Du'ring  nearly 


J.  L.  GRANDIN.  433 

determination  was  to  take  to  the  law  as  a  profession.  A  few 
months'  observation,  however,  among  his  fellow-students  and  class- 
mates convinced  him  that  his  success  in  life  did  not  depend  upon 
his  becoming  a  lawyer.  Of  the  class  graduating,  the  year  young 
GRANDIN  left  College,  very  many  had  fixed  upon  the  profession 
of  the  law  as  a  life  calling.  He  estimated  that  not  more  than  one- 
third  of  these  could  succeed,  and  contrasting  his  own  chances  of 
success  with  the  small  fraction  of  his  class-mates,  he  determined  to 
abandon  his  earlier  resolves,  and  seek  success  in  other  and  less 
crowded  fields. 

He  left  college  in  1857,  and  returned  to  Tidioute,  and  engaged 
in  business  with  his  father,  then  largely  interested  in  mercantile 
and  lumbering  enterprises.  He  readily  acquired  a  full  knowledge 
of  his  father's  business,  and  later,  assumed  almost  entire  control  of 
it,  and  was  generally  recognized  as  its  responsible  head.  This  posi- 
tion he  has  continued  to  occupy  to  this  day,  and  has  always  been 
regarded  as  the  master  spirit  of  very  many  of  the  great  financial, 
commercial  and  business  operations  of  the  successors  of  SAMUEL 
GRANDIN. 

When  in  1859,  the  oil  developments  of  Col.  Drake,  upon  the 
"Watson  Flats,  became  known,  J.  L.  GRANDIN  was  the  first  to  in- 
augurate measures  for  its  production  at  Tidioute.  He  had  known 
of  the  existence  of  an  oil  spring  on  Gordon  Run,  one  of  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Allegany  river,  at  that  point,  from  which  oil  had  in 
years  past,  been  gathered  in  small  quantities.  Within  a  day  or  two 
after  the  Drake  well  was  struck,  and  while  Col.  Robinson,  then  a 
resident  of  Titusville,  was  rehearsing  the  particulars  of  the  wonder- 
ful success  which  had  attended  Col.  Drake's  efforts,  to  a  listening 
group  in  his  father's  store,  young  GRANDIN  saddled  his  horse, 
and  within  an  hour,  was  pressing  negotiations  for  the  purchase 
of  thirty  acres  of  the  Campbell  farm,  upon  which  the  oil  spring 
was  located.  The  terms  of  sale  were  agreed  upon — 30  acres  at  $10 
per  acre — a  payment  made,  and  Mr.  GRANDIN  returned  to  Tidioute. 
28 


434  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

Later,  upon  the  same  day,  he  visited  the  spring,  had  it  thoroughly 
cleaned  out,  and  immediately  the  oil  began  to  rise  to  the  surface, 
in  small  globules,  and  before  leaving  it,  a  pint  bottle  of  the  green 
fluid  was  obtained. 

On  the  morning  following  his  purchase  and  explorations  about 
the  spring,  Mr.  GRANDIN  visited  Mr.  H.  H.  DENNIS,  an  old 
favorite  of  the  Grandin  family,  and  a  man  of  superior  mechanical 
ingenuity,  still  residing  at  Tidioute,  then  living  at  Dennis'  Mills,  near 
what  is  now  known  as  New  London.  He  hurriedly  disclosed  to  him 
his  plans,  the  purchase  of  the  oil  spring,  and  its  flattering  "  surface 
indications."  The  Drake  well  and  its  remarkable  product, — eight 
barrels  per  day,  and  selling  at  the  well  for  75  cents  per  gallon ! — 
this  and  much  more  was  discussed,  and  finally  Mr.  G.  made  known 
the  object  of  his  visit.  "  I  think,"  said  Mr.  GRANDIN,  "we  can  find 
oil  in  paying  quantities  on  Gordon  Run.  The  old  oil  spring  gives 
strong  proofs  of  its  abundance  there — and  I  have  determined  to 
put  down  a  well,  right  in  the  centre  of  the  spring !  I  have  come 
to  see  if  you  can  provide  the  tools  and  put  down  the  well  ?" 
"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Dennis,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  "  I  think, 
by  jolly,  I  can  do  it,  if  anybody  can  !"  A  bargain  was  struck  at 
once,  and  a  contract  entered  into  between  the  parties,  and  the 
following  day  a  derrick,  consisting  of  four  twenty-feet  scantling* 
was  erected — a  spring  pole  procured,  and  everything  necessary  for 
a  commencement  of  the  work  of  drilling,  put  at  the  disposal  of  Mr. 
Dennis  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  spring  hole  was  excavated  to 
the  rock  bottom,  the  drilling  tool  "  swung,"  and  all  accomplished 
that  could  be,  before  the  setting  of  the  sun  on  the  THIRD  day  after 
Mr.  GRANDIN'S  purchase ! 

As  this  was  the  FIRST  well  started  at  Tidioute,  and  probably 
the  very  next  commenced  after  Col.  Drake's  well  was  completed, 
in  the  oil  region,  we  have  deemed  its  history  of  sufficient  import- 
ance and  interest,  to  give  a  detailed  statement  of  its  inception, 
manner  of  drilling,  and  the  incidents  attending  its  progress  and  ul- 
timate failure. 


J.    L.    GBANDIN.  435 

Mr.  Dennis,  though  a  mechanic  of  remarkable  skill  and  rare 
genius,  had  never  seen  an  oil  well,  nor  indeed  had  he  ever  turned 
his  attention  to  rock  drilling,  in  any  regard — even  to  rock  blasting, 
but  he  at  once  comprehended  the  undertaking,  and  set  about  sup- 
plying himself  with  the  necessary  implements  for  the  work  before 
him.  He  had  seen  the  old  style  "  churn  drill,"  used  for  blasting, 
— and  procuring  a  bar  of  inch  and  a  quarter  iron,  three  feet  in 
length,  he  soon  fashioned  it  to  his  needs.  One  end  was  flattened 
to  form  a  cutting  bit,  two  and  a  half  inches  in  breadth,  this  being 
the  diameter  of  the  hole  to  be  drilled.  In  the  upper  end  of  this 
iron  bar  or  bit,  he  made  a  socket  into  which,  as  the  work  pro- 
ceeded, he  put  an  inch  bar  of  round  iron,  tapered  to  fit  the  socket, 
and  fastened  by  means  of  a  key,  and  this  riveted,  and  made  per- 
fectly straight  and  solidly  fast.  These  continued  additions,  consti- 
tuted his  drilling  tools,  drilling  jars,  auger  stem,  &c.,  &c.  When 
it  became  necessary,  as  it  did  ordinarily  twice  or  thrice  a  day,  to 
remove  the  drill,  or  bit,  to  sharpen  or  repair  it,  the  rivet  or  key 
had  to  be  cut  off,  and  the  drill  removed,  and  thus  every  succeeding 
bit — and  he  afterwards  made  several — was  operated. 

In  this  manner,  and  with  this  rude  outfit,  the  first  well  was 
drilled  at  Tidioute,  and  as  before  remarked — the  SECOND  well  in 
this  region  was  begun.  Of  course  the  process  of  drilling  was 
slow,  and  had  to  be  done  with  great  care.  The  first  break  in  the 
drill-point — half  an  inch  or  more  being  taken  off — was  deemed 
fatal  to  the  enterprise.  Mr.  Dennis,  however,  tried  the  'blunting 
of  the  point  of  his  drilling  tool,  and  pounding  away  for  a  day  or 
two,  finally  drove  the  "  offender "  into  the  walls  of  the  well. 
Thus,  one  after  another  of  the  innumerable  obstacles  encountered, 
were  overcome,  and  the  well  drilled  down  to  the  depth  of  134 
feet!  It  was  begun  in  the  month  of  August,  1859,  and  spite  of 
embarrassments  and  hindrances,  more  easily  imagined  than  de- 
scribed, was  completed  to  the  depth  stated,  in  the  last  days  of 
October  of  the  same  year,  or  a  little  more  than  eight  weeks  from 
its  commencement.  During  the  progress  of  drilling,  no  "show" 


436  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

of  oil  or  gas  had  been  visible,  but  the  depth  was  deemed  ample  for 
oil  purposes.  The  Drake  Well,  was  sixty-nine  feet  six  inches 
deep,  and  this  was  double  the  depth  of  this  first  test  well,  and 
was  regarded  as  sufficiently  deep  for  all  practical  purposes. 

Mr.  GRANDIN,  immediately  ordered  from  a  Pittsburgh  manu- 
factory, copper  tubing  for  the  well,  giving  its  dimensions,  depth, 
<&c.,  as  also  a  pump  of  sufficient  capacity  and  power  to  draw  the 
fluid  from  its  great  depth.  The  manufacturers  replied,  that  they 
made  no  tubing  of  the  size  required,  and  informed  Mr.  GRANDIN, 
that  his  well-hole  was  too  small  by  nearly  one  half!  That  it  must 
be  four  inches  in  diameter,  in  order  that  tubing,  and  a  pump  of 
sufficient  power  be  used  to  make  it  practicable  and  successful ! 

Here,  indeed,  was  time,  money  and  effort  expended  for  naught. 
The  well  had  been  put  down  upon  the  best  information  attainable, 
and  to  appearances  was  valueless  because  of  its  size !  Mr.  GRANDIN, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Dennis,  had  visited  the  Drake  Well,  while 
drilling  their  own,  purposely  to  obtain  information  to  enable  them 
to  proceed  correctly,  and  to  learn  how  to  remove  broken  bits  and 
rock  cuttings  from  their  well,  and  such  other  facts  as  would  aid 
them  in  accomplishing  the  end  in  view.  When  they  reached  the 
Drake  Well,  all  was  boarded  up  tight,  and  the  entrances  barred, 
bolted  and  locked  !  Col.  Drake  himself  was  absent,  and  the  won- 
derful "  wonder,"  was  in  charge  of  a  German  fellow-citizen,  who 
denied  all  access  to  the  inner  courts  of  the  derrick,  and  refused 
utterly  to  give  any  information  upon  the  subject !  Of  course 
Messrs.  GRANDIN  and  DENNIS,  returned  to  their  own  enterprise, 
as  wise  as  they  went  to  Col.  Drake's  well,  and  the  following  day 
Mr.  Dennis  called  upon  Mr.  GRANDIN,  and  detailed  to  him  his 
plan  for  enlarging  the  dimensions  of  the  hole.  He  wanted  a  bar 
of  iron  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  length. 
But  where  to  get  such  a  ponderous  piece  of  metal,  was  the  next 
suggestion.  No  hardware  establishment  in  all  that  section  of  the 
country,  kept  iron  bars  of  this  character,  and  it  was  questionable 
if  it  could  be  had  short  of  Pittsburgh.  During  the  same  day, 


J.    L.    GRANDIN.  437 

however,  Mr.  Dennis'  eye  fell  upon  "just  what  he  wanted  !"  It 
was  a  discarded  axle,  used  upon  a  tram- railway,  running  out  of 
Gordon  Run,  used  to  transport  lumber  to  the  Allegany  river!  " It 
was  just  the  thing  needed  I"  It  was  six  feet  in  length,  two  inches 
in  diameter,  made  of  wrought  iron,  and  would  weigh  nearly  one 
hundred  pounds.  This  was  quickly  transformed  into  the  desired 
shape,  a  block  of  steel  run  through  the  bar,  welded  and  riveted, 
four  inches  from  one  end,  and  the  steel  on  either  side  of  the  bar,  was 
flattened  to  a  cutting  edge,  two  inches  in  breadth.  To  the  other 
end  he  attached  an  inch  and  an  eighth  cable,  and  fastened  this  to 
his  spring  pole,  and  thus  began  the  work  of  enlarging  the  well 
hole.  For  a  sand  pump,  he  used  while  drilling  the  two  and  a 
half  inch  well,  three  feet  of  an  inch  and,  a  half  copper  pipe,  cut 
from  a  boiler  water  pipe,  used  at  a  neighboring  saw-mill,  fastening 
a  leather  valve  at  or  near  the  lower  end,  so  as  to  securely  hold 
whatever  entered  it.  This  sand  pump  he  continued  to  use  success- 
fully, until  the  enlargement  was  completed ! 

Of  course  it  was  the  labor  of  days  and  weeks,  running  into 
months,  to  "  rim  out "  this  hole,  with  their  home-made  tool,  but  it 
was  ultimately  accomplished!.  During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1859, 
and  '60,  Mr.  Dennis  toiled  on,  some  days,  "  rimming  out "  six 
inches  and  others  as  many  as  two  feet  per  day.  As-  he  proceeded 
he  discovered  the  necessity  for  "jars"  in  his  drilling  apparatus, 
and  so  constructed  "a  pair"  to  meet  the  demand.  He  made  of 
inch  and  a  quarter  bar  iron,  two  links,  similar  to  the  links  of  a  log 
chain — two  feet  in  length — and  attached  these  to  his  "  car-axle  " 
drill  and  cable,  and  this  constituted  his  drilling  jars  !  Mr.  Dennis 
admits,  cleverly,  that  the  principle  he  adopted  for  "drill  jars," 
has  been  enlarged  as  well  as  improved  ! 

But  the  saddest  part  of  the  story  of  this  second  well,  drilled  for 
oil  in  the  Western  Pennsylvania  oil  fields,  and  which  we  have  given 
with  such  particular  detail,  and  for  a  purpose  that  the  reader  will  not 
fail  to  detect,  remains  to  be  told.  When  the  "  rimming  out  "  to 
the  bottom  of  the  first  well  had  been  completed,  and  the  "  car- 


438  HISTOEY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

axle  "  drill,  had  been  run  down  for  the  last  time,  "just  to  make  sure 
that  the  work  was  finished/'  it  in  some  unaccountable  and  inexpli- 
cable manner  became  fastened  to  the  rocks  below,  and  "  never  saw 
day-light  again  !  "  Days  and  days  were  spent  in  the  vain  effort  to 
release  it,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Mr.  Dennis  constructed  a  rude 
torpedo  out  of  the  remaining  portion  of  his  copper  boiler  feed  pipe, 
and  charged  this  with  blasting  powder.  After  some  experiments 
with  a  fuse,  as  to  the  time  required  to  reach  the  top  of  his  drill- 
ing tools,  he  made  one  or  two  efforts  to  explode  it,  and  finally  ac- 
complished his  purpose.  The  explosion  was  sensibly  felt  upon  the 
surface,  for  Mr.  Dennis  says  "  the  ground  trembled  like  an  earth- 
quake under  his  feet!"  The  explosion  was  effected,  doubtless, 
nearer  the  surface  than  he  intended  or  anticipated.  But  the  effect 
of  this  "  first  torpedo  exploded  in  an  oil  well,"  was  a  failure  to  re- 
lease the  embedded  tools.  Other  expedients  were  resorted  to,  but 
all  to  no  purpose.  Each  succeeding  effort  only  served  to  put  it  be- 
yond the  mechanical  skill  of  Mr.  Dennis  to  recover  the  lost  imple- 
ments, and  they  were  finally  abandoned.  What  a  curiosity  that 
rude  drilling  tool  would  be  now,  and  what  a  contrast  would  be  dis- 
cernible in  them  and  those  in  use  at  the  present  day  ! 

We  may  as  well  state  here  that  while  other  wells  followed  this 
first  one  upon  Gordon  Run — one  as  late  as  1865,  no  oil  has  ever 
been  brought  to  the  surface  in  that  locality.  The  oil  spring,  which 
first  induced  Mr.  GRANDIN  to  purchase  it  and  the  land  surround- 
ing it,  is  still  in  existence,  and  the  gravel  two  feet  from  the  surface 
is  thoroughly  impregnated  with  heavy  petroleum.  It  is  supposed 
the  oil  is  forced  up  through  the  rocks  from  Dennis  Run,  half  a 
mile  distant,  and  finds  an  exit  in  this  spring. 

Before  the  completion  of  this  well,  or  perhaps  we  should  say  be- 
fore its  abandonment,  during  the  winter  and  spring  of  1860,  Mr. 
GRANDIN  secured  leases  upon  the  river  flats,  on  lands  belonging  to 
"  The  Tidioute  and  Warren  Oil  Company."  These  leases  were 
sub-let  to  other  parties,  and  in  the  early  spring  and  summer  of 
that  year,  two  wells  were  put  down,  one  of  which  produced  eight 


J.    L.    GRANDIN.  439 

barreTs  and  the  other  forty  barrels  daily.  Mr.  GRANDIN  retained  a 
"  free  interest "  in  the  property  leased,  and  was  thus  made  a  party 
to  the  profits  without  great  outlay.  The  wells  were  shallow,  not 
being  in  any  case,  we  believe,  during  the  development  of  1860,  and 
'61,  more  than  125  to  150  feet  in  depth. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1 860,  developments  had  extended 
across  and  down  the  river  from  Tidioute  a  mile  or  more.  Mr. 
GRANDIN  leased  a  number  of  farms  in  the  direction  indicated,  put 
down  a  good  many  wells  himself,  and  sub-leased  to  other  parties 
upon  various  terms,  but  the  developments  were  without  marked 
success.  Little  or  no  oil  was  discovered,  and  the  consequence  was 
an  innumerable  number  of  "dry  holes"  rewarded  the  industry 
and  enterprise  of  the  explorers.  Efforts  to  discover  the  producing 
oil-rock  were  continued  by  Mr.  GRANDIN,  with  unabated  zeal 
through  1860,  '61,  '62  and  '63,  and  with  moderate  success.  Du- 
ring these  early  years  of  the  petroleum  excitement,  and  while 
known  as  a  prominent  producer,  he  became  largely  interested  in  the 
purchase,  sale  and  shipment  of  oil  to  the  sea-board. 

In  1863,  Mr.  GRANDIN,  partly  as  a  speculative  operation,  but 
mainly  to  introduce  refined  petroleum  to  western  dealers  and  con- 
sumers, shipped  130  barrels  of  oil,  refined,  at  Irvineton,  Pa.,  upon 
shares,  to  Chicago,  and  went  thither  himself  to  attend  to  its  sale. 
He  found  much  difficulty  in  interesting  dealers  in  its  traffic.  Their 
prejudices,  the  results  of  a  total  lack  of  knowledge  of  this  new  il- 
luminating agent,  would  admit  of  no  arguments,  or  proofs,  or  sug- 
gestions. They  "  had  a  coal  oil  that  gave  ample  light,"  and  they 
would  not  touch  the  new  material.  Mr.  GRANDIN  did,  however, 
finally  succeed  in  interesting  one  or  two  dealers  in  its  sale — but  the 
speculation  was  not  a  flattering  one,  financially.  But  it  served  to 
introduce  the  new  "  illuminating  fluid  "  to  the  people  of  the  west, 
and  later,  opened  up  one  of  the  best  markets  on  the  continent  for 
the  sale  of  refined  oil. 

The  first  oil-producing  well  put  down  at  Tidioute  was  struck  in 
the  fall  of  1860.  It  was  located  upon  the  river-flat  below  Tidioute, 


440  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

and  was  drilled  by  Messrs.  KING  &  FERRIS,  then  both  residents 
of  Titusville.  The  land  upon  which  it  was  situated  belonged  to 
W.  W.  WALLACE,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1860,  was  purchased  by 
"  THE  TIDIOUTE  AND  WARREN  OIL  COMPANY/'  This  was,  pro- 
bably, the  first  oil  company  organized  at  Tidioute,  if  not  in  the  Oil 
Region,  and  its  proprietorship  is  worthy  of  preservation  in  these 
pages.  There  were  ten  shares  of  the  stock  at  §1,000  each,  and  the 
following  gentlemen  were  its  original  owners : 

Samuel  Grandin,         .         .         .  Tidioute. 

Brewer,  Watson  &  Co.,        .         .  Titusville. 

Charles  Hyde,    ....  Hydetown. 

Robert  Brown,   ....  Milltown. 

W.  T.  Neill,       ....  Neilltown. 

E.  T.  F.  Vallentine,  .         .         .  Warren. 
L.  L.  Lowry,      .... 
C.  B.  Curtis,       ....  " 

L.  D.  Wetmore  ....  " 

The  Company  purchased  the  "undivided  one-half"  of  the  Wal- 
lace farm  property,  which  consisted  of  about  500  acres  of  land,  and 
leased  the  other  half  at  "an  eighth  royalty."  The  investment 
proved  to  be  a  very  profitable  one,  the  shareholders  receiving  large 
sums  as  dividends.  In  1865,  Mr.  GRANDIN  became  interested  by 
purchase,  in  this  valuable  property,  and  was  soon  after  elected 
Treasurer  of  the  Company,  and  one  of  the  Executive  Committee. 
He  had  been  identified  and  indirectly  connected  with  the 
purchase  and  development  of  this  property  from  the  first,  repre- 
senting his  father's  interest,  but  became  a  purchaser  of  a  portion  of 
its  stock  himself,  as  we  have  stated.  He  holds  the  position  of  Trea- 
surer and  Manager  at  this  writing,  directing  its  affairs  almost 
exclusively,  the  remaining  members  of  the  Committee  being  resi- 
dents of  Pittsburgh  and  Warren,  and  rarely  at  Tidioute.  As  evi- 
dence of  the  success  with  which  Mr.  G.  has  developed  this  property, 
we  may  add,  that  during  his  eight  years1  supervision  of  it,  he  has 
paid  over  to  its  stockholders  more  than  $1,200,000,  in  dividends! 


J.   L.    GRANDIN.  441 

This  is  quite  $150,000  per  annum  as  profits  upon  an  investment 
of  only  $10,000  made  in  1860  ! 

In  1866,  Mr.  GRANDIN  became  interested  with  Pierce  &  Ney- 
hart  in  the  purchase,  sale  and  development  of  oil  lands,  building 
of  iron  tankage,  and  the  general  traffic  incident  to  the  oil  trade. 
Later  the  firm  added  the  shipment  of  oil  to  the  sea-board,  and  else- 
where to  their  extensive  operations.  Few  firms  or  individuals  in 
the  oil  region  have  been  as  large  buyers  and  shippers,  as  Pierce  & 
Neyhart,  and  Mr.  Adnah  Neyhart,  who  succeeded  Pierce  &  Neyhart. 
Buying  upon  a  falling  market  as  readily  as  upon  an  advancing  one, 
their  ample  capital  permitted  the  purchase  of  large  quantities  of  oil 
which  they  were  enabled  to  hold  at  various  points,  and  ship  as 
required.  Mr.  GRANDIN  retired  from  this  firm  in  1868,  after  two 
years  of  successful  operation,  and  Messrs.  Pierce  &  Neyhart  suc- 
ceeded to  the  shipping  traffic. 

In  1866,  the  first  Pipe  Line  was  put  into  successful  operation 
upon  Dennis  Run.  It  was  owned  by  J.  L.  GRANDIN,  Pierce  & 
Neyhart,  Fisher*Bros.,  and  C.  "W.  Ellis.  It  extended  from  the 
river,  through  Dennis  Run  to  the  "  New  York  and  Dennis  Run 
Oil  Company  V  lauds,  below  Triumph.  This  line  was  in  1867, 
sold  to  the  "  New  York  and  Dennis  Run  Oil  Co.,"  and  passed  into 
their  control  at  that  date. 

Another  Pipe  Line  was  laid  in  1867,  and  by  the  same  parties, 
with  M.  G.  Gushing  and  James  Parshall,  added  to  their  number. 
The  pipe  used  for  this  second  enterprise  was  three  inch,  the  first 
being  but  two  inch  capacity.  In  1870,  the  Fagundas  developments 
startled  the  oil  region  from  end  to  end.  Prior  to  these  extraordi- 
nary productions,  or  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1869,  J.  L.  GRANDIN, 
with  his  brothers  E.  B.  and  W.  J.,  and  the  brothers  Neyhart,  pur- 
chased the  undivided  one-half  interest  in  the  David  Beaty  farm,  on 
Hickory  Creek,  and  adjoining  the  Fagundas  farm  on  the  west,  for 
$91,000.  The  following  year,  1870,  Messrs.  J.  L.  &  E.  B.  GRAN- 
DIN,  A.  Neyhart  and  David  Beaty  purchased  one-half  of  the  Hirarn 
Scott  farm  at  Fagundas,  paying  for  it,  with  developments  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  its  boundaries,  $5,000. 


\ 

442  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

Shortly  after  this  transaction,  the  same  parties,  in  conjunction 
with  Fisher  Bros.,  purchased  five-sixths  of  the  Fagundas  Farm, 
John  Fagundas  retaining  a  one-sixth  interest.  For  this  the  parties 
paid  $100,000 !  Subsequently  Mr.  A.  Neyhart  purchased  one-half 
of  John  Fagundas7  one-sixth  interest,  for  which  he  paid  $25,000 ! 

During  the  same  summer,  and  after  developments  began  to  prove 
the  great  value  of  property  at  Fagundas,  the  GRANDINS  and  Ney- 
hart,  and  David  Beaty,  leased  ten  acres  of  the  afterwards  widely- 
known  Wilkins  Farm — five  of  which  they  re-leased  to  James 
McNair.  Upon  the  remaining  five  acres  they  sank  three  wrells, 
one  of  which,  "  The  McQuade  Well,"  produced  from  the  start,  400 
barrels  a  day !  This  was  by  far  the  largest  well  obtained  upon 
the  Fagundas  belt,  and  brought  to  its  fortunate  owners  a  large 
amount  of  solid  profit.  Besides  these  returns,  here  briefly  referred 
to,  these  gentlemen  possessed  valuable  interests  at  various  points  in 
this  new  field,  all  which,  or  nearly  all,  added  to  the  volume  of 
wealth  literally  pouring  into  their  coffers.  At  this  writing,  May, 
1873,  they  are  owners  of  nearly  100  producing  w^fls,  scattered  over 
the  Fagundas,  Scott,  Wilkins,  Beaty,  and  contiguous  Farms,  the 
aggregate  production  of  which  is  not  less  than  500  barrels  per  day. 

In  closing  this  brief  mention  of  the  Fagundas  operations,  we 
may  add,  by  way  of  a  summary  statement,  that  -in  the  purchase 
and  development  of  the  property  above  referred  to,  more  than 
$600,000  have  been  expended  upon  the  Fagundas  and  Beaty  Farms 
alone !  Of  course  the  "  right  side "  of  the  ledger  will  exhibit  a 
"stretch  of  numerals"  largely  in  excess  of  even  these  fabulous 
expenditures. 

During  the  summer  of  1868,  J.  L.  &  E.  B.  GRANDLY,  Fisher 
Bros.,  and  Adnah  Neyhart,  purchased  the  remaining  interests  in 
the  Tidioute  Pipe  Line — these  gentlemen  being  from  the  first  its 
largest  stockholders— :and  in  1869,  with  David  Beaty  and  Jahu 
Hunter  added  to  their  number,  began  and  completed  a  Pipe  Line 
from  Fagundas  to  Trunkeyville,  a  station  on  the  O.  C.  and  A.  R.  R. 
R.,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  Fagundas  oil  field. 


J.    L.    GBANDIN.  443 

These  lines  of  pipe  were  successfully  operated  through  1869- 
'70  and  '71,  at  which  date  "The  Pennsylvania  Transportation 
Company,"  the  most  extensive  Pipe  Line  incorporation  in  the  oil 
region,  became  interested  in  them.  Messrs.  Grandins  &  Ney- 
hart  are  now  equal  owners  with  this  Company  in  the  Pipe-lines 
from  Fagundas  to  Trunkeyville,  and  from  Fagundas  to  Tidioute, 
and  from  Fagundas  to  Titusville.  They  also  own,  in  connection 
with  the  same  Company,  one-half  of  the  Pipe-line  running 
from  Triumph  to  Tidioute,  which,  with  its  extensions,  reaches 
to  all  the  producing  territory  lying  between  Colorado  and 
Tidioute. 

The  storage  or  Iron  tankage  belonging  to  Grandins  &  Ney- 
hart,  and  David  Beaty,  who  is  also  part  owner  with  these  gen- 
tlemen in  some  portions  of  their  tank  investments,  is  larger  than 
that  of  any  private  firm  or  individual  in  the  oil  regions.  At  Par- 
ker's Landing,  J.  L.  &  E.  B.  GBANDIN,  and  Messrs.  Neyhart  and 
David  Beaty,  have  a  tankage  capacity  of  36,000  barrels.  The 
tankage  at  Tidioute,  owned  by  J.  L.  &  E.  B.  Grandin,  and  Adnah 
Neyhart,  amounts  to  75,000  barrels.  Upon  the  Beaty  Farm,  the 
same  parties,  with  Mr.  Beaty,  have  tankage  for  18,000  barrels, 
and  11,000  barrels  of  tank  capacity  is  owned  by  the  same  parties 
at  Miller  Farm,  on  Oil  Creek.  These  gentlemen  are  now  erecting  at 
Titusville  for  the  conveniences  of  their  own  private  business,  a 
tankage  capacity  of  18,000  barrels.  Here  are  nearly  160,000  bar- 
rels of  storage  capacity  owned  and  controlled  by  the  enterprise  of 
these  gentlemen,  and  it  is  but  truth  to  say  they  have  "  no  room  to 
spare."  Their  production  and  purchase  of  oil,  month  in  and  month 
out,  test  the  capacity  of  all  the  storage  they  have  at  their  disposal. 
As  with  their  ample  means,  Grandins  &  Neyhart  are  enabled  to  con- 
duct this  branch  of  their  business  upon  a  thoroughly  successful 
basis,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  their  large  capital  actively,  employed. 
They  are  large  buyers  at  all  times,  but  specially  so  upon  a  depressed 
market.  It  is  no  uncommon  fact  for  Grandins  &  Neyhart  to  pur- 


444  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

chase  and  carry  over  to  a  higher  market  150,000  barrels 
of  oil.* 

In  December,  1865,  Wadsworth,  Baum  &  Co.,  opened  a  private 
banking- office  at  Tidioute.  In  February  following,  (1866,)  J.  L. 
GRANDIN  associated  himself  with  Dr.  Baum,  one  of  the  original 
partners  of  Wadsworth,  Baum  •&  Co.,  and  purchased  the  interests 
of  the  remaining  partners,  and  thenceforward  the  enterprise  was 
known  as  "  Grandin  &  Baum's  Bank."  In  February,  1870,  after 
four  years  of  financial  success,  this  banking  firm  was  succeeded  by 
J.  L.  &  W.  J.  Grandin,  and  these  brothers  have  since  conducted 
the  banking  business  solely  upon  their  own  account  and  responsi- 
bility, under  the  firm  name  of  Grandin  Brothers.  The  institution 
is  wholly  a  private  enterprise,  owned  and  managed  exclusively  by 
these  two  gentlemen,  both  of  whom,  it  is  needless  to  add,  command 
the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  take  rank  among  the  leading  and 
substantial  bankers  of  the  oil  region  and  Western  Pennsylvania. — 
The  amount  of  capital  required  to  conduct  their  extensive  banking 
transactions  is  not  named,  nor  does  it  seem  necessary  that  it  should 
be.  Whenever  required,  their  resources  will  supply  every  demand 
made  upon  them.  Their  deposits  are  very  large,  and  their  line  of 
discounts  are  probably  equal  with  any  other  banking  institution  in 
the  oil  region. 

JOHN  LIVINGSTON  GRANDIN  is  a  gentleman  of  large  business 
calibre  and  experience.  In  commercial  as  in  financial  circles  he  is 
regarded  as  amply  comprehensive  and  reliable  beyond  doubt  or 
question.  He  is  self-possessed  under  whatever  burden  his  large 
business  affairs  and  engagements  impose,  and  never  seems  disiairbed 
or  deprived  of  his  equanimity,  either  by  reverses  or  successes.  He 
is  prompt,  energetic,  and  thorough,  grappling  large  transac- 
tions, involving  thousands  of  dollars  of  outlay,  as  he  would  the 
ordinary  operations  of  every-day  life.  He  is  not  what  the  world 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  an  addition  of  75,000  barrels  tankage  capacity  has 
been  added— a  portion  of  it  in  the  Parker's  District— a  20,000  barrel  tank  on  the 
Jamestown  road,  below  Oil  City,  and  another  at  Titusville  of  like  dimensions. 


J.   L.   GRANDIN.  445 

terms  a  bold  operator,  for  that  expression  oftentimes  involves 
suspicion  of  recklessness.  But  he  is  a  clear-headed,  far-seeing, 
sound  financial  thinker,  and  accepts  and  adopts  his  own  convictions 
and  theories,  and  acts  upon  them  without  special  regard  to  the  im- 
pressions of  others.  He  has  an  active  temperament,  with  a  well 
balanced  brain  and  a  thoroughly  cultured  mind.  He  thinks  and 
moves  not  alone  for  himself,  but  for  others,  and  is  therefore  among 
that  class  of  commercial  and  financial  head- workers,  whose  opinion 
and  judgment  upon  all  important  subjects  of  this  character  will 
always  be  sought  after,  and  heeded. 

In  private  life  he  is  a  man  of  rare  personal  worth  and  high-toned 
moral  excellencies.  Dignified  even  to  reserve,  he  is  nevertheless 
cordial  and  companionable  toward  all  with  whom  he  comes  into 
contact.  Limited,  perhaps  to  a  degree,  in  his  closer  friendships,  he 
is  yet  generously  frank  and  zealously  devoted  to  those  so  fortunate 
as  to  win  his  confidence  and  merit  his  esteem.  In  business  circles 
he  is  irreproachably  honorable  and  scrupulously  upright.  His 
integrity  is  absolutely  unassailable,  for  he  has  ever  regarded  his 
word  as  his  bond,  and  his  bond  is  always  quotable  at  par. 

Such  men  as  JOHN  LIVINGSTON  GRANDIN,  and  the  firms  with 
which  his  name  is  so  prominently  identified,  and  has  been  during 
the  past  eight  or  ten  years,  give  character  and  stability  to  the  com- 
mercial and  monetary  affairs  of  the  Oil  Region, — and  in  closing 
this  brief  resume  of  his  own,  and  his  associates'  connection  with  this 
important  branch  of  our  national  wealth  and  resources,  we  may  be 
permitted  the  hope,  that  both  he  and  they,  may  yet  celebrate  other 
triumphs  and  still  greater  successes  than  those  already  carried  to 
their  credit,  which  have  given  him  and  them,  such  flattering  com- 
mendation, and  public  and  private  renown.  Such  men  deserve 
success,  and  the  popular  voice  is  ever  an  approving  one  when  they 
attain  it. 


446  HISTORY    OF   PETROLEUM. 


ADNAH    NEYHAKT. 

TIDIOUTE,   PENNA. 

A  POLISHED  and,  we  may  add,  a  piquant,  American  author  has 
said,  that  "  few  virtues  are  more  popular,  more  fascinating,  and 
unfortunately,  more  rare,  than  pluck !"  Not  "  pluck "  of  that 
blind,  spasmodic,  impulsive  character  usually  misnamed  under  this 
head,  but  of  a  steady,  quiet,  invincible  and  persistent  quality 
founded  on  neither  ignorance  nor  miscalculation  r  spur  red  on  neither 
by  emulation,  nor  conceit,  following  out,  through  clearly  foreseen 
and  fully  comprehended  dangers,  a  well  denned  and  thoroughly 
good  purpose.  Men  thus  endowed  have  elements  of  greatness 
about  them  that  sooner  or  later  will  crop  out,  and  in  the  end 
demand  and  obtain  success  in  whatever  field  they  may  choose  to 
labor.  "  Pluck,"  or  courage  under  whatever  disaster,  is  a  virtue 
beneficent  solely  through  its  own  intrinsic  quality.  In  whatever 
cause  displayed,  it  is  ever  a  noble  and  an  ennobling  trait  of  human 
character.  No  eminent  man,  in  whatever  station  he  be  found — in 
the  learned  professions,  in  mechanics  or  arts,  in  financial  circles,  or 
in  the  commercial  world,  has  attained  distinction  without  it. 
Wherever  it  is  discovered,  it  is  applauded,  for  there  are  few  who 
do  not  sympathize  with  and  pay  it  homage. 

There  are  now  and  always  have  been,  since  its  discovery, 
"plucky"  men,  identified  with  the  development  of  petroleum  oil 
in  western  Pennsylvania — men  of  unconquerable  will,  invincible 
determination,  and  unabated  zeal  and  industry — men,  who  under 
whatever  adversity  or  disaster,  have  resolved,  come  what  may, 
to  attain  success.  Among  this  class  of  men,  deserving  recognition 
and  a  place  in  the  memory  of  the  reader  of  these  pages,  we  place 
the  subject  of  the  following  sketch,  ADNAH  NEYHART  of  Tidioute. 


. 


hi     .  Hi  A  RT. 

v  11. i-.  .  i.  -tn,.uu    American  author  has 

»•;.»*•  !'':;  r,  more    fascinating    :in<l 

iildf  "pluck'7      : 

cr,     .  .-.  •  ;il/    :,»!:: -I'.T.ii.x!   UudcT  this 

,  -,  ,            -ar»  :    j.--  n^i^  ju.  ^'jaltty- 
•  ;-i.  sr-  «!  -.m  neither 


,]   'Jar:*:'>»  ?a   u-  ;i   »tyth.'->-.i  :u:4  fLoroug'ily 
;;hf^   <.J  --.-'Vi    i^w:  ^..eirvjiitf--   of  groat-ne^ 

?r  i.;Mt.   and   in    the  end    . 

?»»   ;.a    -{'..-'-         '•;  -.-^  th'-y  Juaj'  elioc*?--;  to 

:l.       .-,',  r  iisofc-ter,  it-  a  virtue 

.,.  ,-,    ,  .    <vij.alitv.     Li  whatever 

.  ,4t  r»:-:u>m':ii£r  trait  of  hun:aii 

•.-*•„•'.  ••  ;.i»T«  i>-'  bo  found-  -ia 

.  {-,.  i  .  ar::-.  in  •u-^^'ial  uiielos,  or 

<;:::.,     Hiaint'^    Jistiivjtioii   without   it- 

..  •.!.  ;•  ^  -',;  -iiidr-d,  ibr  there  are  few  who 


-,ul   iiUv.iv-      :  -  vc   l>cei«,  finco    i^ 

.-;n«^]  with   r.v-    dev^npineat  of  petroleum  o!l 

M-i'i  u:   'uv^uqnerible  will  invincible 

^M-vt^-.'     en,  a;»d  Industry  —  men,  who  under 

-  r,    s»--:   re^olvci-l,  oornc    what   may, 

<-t  -  I'  men,  deserving  recognition 

••  v*r.    of  ihese  pages,  we  plaon 

..->  NEYIIART  of  Tidloute. 


448  HISTORY   OP  PETROLEUM.  • 

day  imbibed  and  cultivated  a  speculative  turn,  in  business  affairs, 
and  could  hardly  endure  the  retail  trade  of  a  "  corner  grocery 
store  "  for  the  gratification  of  his  ambition.  It  was  not  the  desire 
to  become  rich,  that  prompted  him  to  give  up  this  mercantile  en- 
terprise, but  rather  in  the  hope,  that  some  more  important  business 
engagement,  with  larger  transactions,  and  more  of  them,  would  be 
presented  to  him.  This  retail  grocery  enterprise  we  should  say 
here,  was  a  considerable  success  to  the  firm,  but  in  the  sale  and 
transfer  to  his  partner,  Mr.  NEYHART  was,  in  the  end,  the  loser 
of  nearly  all  he  had  invested.  This  misfortune,  for  the  time  at 
least  changed  his  business  determinations,  for  he  soon  after  entered 
the  large  dry  goods  establishment  of  Mr.  S.  H.  Winton,  in  the 
same  city,  as  a  general  salesman.  He  at  once  won  the  esteem  and 
'confidence  of  his  employer,  who  was  not  long  in  discovering  in  his 
new  employee,  an  especial  adaptation  to  business,  as  well  as  his 
clear,  cool  judgment,  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  mer- 
cantile trade.  Mr.  NEYHART  remained  in  this  establishment, 
growing  in  the  esteem  of  his  employer,  and  the  public,  for  about  a 
year,  when  Mr.  Winton  disposed  of  his  business  to  other  parties, 
with  whom  Mr.  NEYHART  remained  still  another  year. 

This  was  early  in  the  fall  of  1861.  With  the  accumulations  of 
his  two  years  engagement  with  Mr.  "Winton,  and  his  successors,  he 
determined  to  try  his  fortunes  as  a  speculator  in  one  of  the  staples  of 
that  portion  of  south-western  New  York.  Butter  was  at  this  time 
almost  unsalable.  Its  quotable  market  value  was  very  low.  But 
Mr.  NEYHART  saw  "money  in  it,"  and  promptly  took  the  risks 
of  its  purchase  in  large  quantities.  His  capital  was  limited,  but 
the  banks  gave  him  generous  accommodations,  and  very  soon  his 
profits  began  to  be  tangible  and  substantial. 

Later  in  the  conduct  of  this  enterprise,  when  the  staple  he  dealt 
in  became  more  abundant,  and  his  capital  inadequate  to  the  demands 
made  upon  it,  Mr.  S.  H.  WINTON,  his  old  employer,  with  ample 
means,  joined  him  in  his  operations.  To  their  butter  purchases, 
which  were  largely  increased  under  the  new  firm,  was  added  the 


ADNAH    NEYHART.  449 

buying  and  shipping  of  dried  apples,  now  come  to  be  an  important 
article  in  the  list  of  Army  supplies.  This  business  association  was 
continued,  and  with  much  profit,  until  the  fall  of  1864,  just  as  the 
rebellion  began  to  wane  and  give  signs  of  failure.  Values  were 
becoming  fitful  and  varying,  the  finances  of  the  country  fluctuated 
and  were  unsettled,  and  commercial  transactions  had  little  of  per- 
manence, and  were  fraught  with  disaster  and  loss — indeed  all 
business  ventures,  the  country  over,  presented  an  uninviting  as- 
pect. Messrs.  Winton  &  Neyhart  determined  to  surrender  their 
heretofore  profitable  enterprise,  which  they  did  before  the  fall  busi- 
ness commenced,  and  the  partnership  affairs  were  gradually  wound 
up,  and  the  business  discontinued. 

While  this  was  being  accomplished,  Mr.  NEYHART,  partly  from 
motives  of  curiosity,  and  partly  as  a  speculative  out-look,  visited 
the  oil  regions,  arriving  at  Oil  City  early  in  the  fall  of  1864. 
During  his  stay  of  two  weeks,  he  made  thorough  examinations  of 
the  oil-producing  localities,  noting  the  details  of  operating  wells, 
leases,  etc.,  etc.  He  became  fairly  interested  in  this  great  industry, 
and  resolved  to  give  it  his  immediate  attention  and  effort.  Upon 
his  return  to  Ithica,  he,  with  other  gentlemen  of  his  acquaintance, 
formed  an  association  or  partnership,  with  a  cash  capital  of  $25,000, 
upon  which  to  commence  operations  in  the  new  Oil-dorado — Mr. 
NEYHART  receiving  and  accepting  the  appointment  of  Supervising 
Agent.  This  completed,  Mr.  N.  returned  to  Oil  City,  and  there- 
upon began  his  operations.  His  first  investment  covered  a  few 
leases  on  Cherry  Eun,  above  Rouseville,  then  one  of  the  largest 
producing  points  on  "the  Creek."  Leases  in  this  locality  com- 
manded a  large  "  bonus,"  and  invariably  "  one-half  the  oil/'  but  the 
few  Mr.  NEYHART  secured,  could  have  been  disposed  of  soon  after 
he  obtained  them  at  a  fabulous  advance,  but  the  association,  whose 
agent  he  was,  decided  to  hold  and  operate  them  in  their  own  behalf, 
and  to  this  end  the  capital  of  the  Company  was  doubled,  and  the 
purchase  and  sale  of  oil  lands  added  to  the  original  determination. 
Everything  promised  well,  and  large  returns  were  anticipated  by 
29 


450  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM 

oil  men  throughout  the  region — indeed  prosperity  was  upon  every- 
hand.  In  1865,  memorable  for  its  devastating  floods,  its  beggarly- 
prices  of  oil,  and  the  consequent  prostration  of  this  great  industry, 
leaving  in  place  of  thrift  and  marvellous  gains,  destruction,  rain, 
and  bankruptcy,  Mr.  NEYHART'S  enterprises  met  the  fate  of 
others.  The  leased  lands  and  oil-well  properties  of  the  association, 
whose  agent  he  was,  proved  to  be,  in  the  main,  valueless,  and  to 
add  to  the  general  disaster  that  met  him  at  every  turn,  the  Com- 
pany was  in  debt,  nearly,  "if  not  quite  $30,000 !"  The  home 
office  declined — perhaps  neglected,  is  the  better  word — to  respond 
to  Mr.  NEYHART'S  appeals  for  renewed  assistance,  to  enable  him 
to  liquidate  some  pressing  demands,  and  after  a  few  days  of  in- 
effectual effort  in  this  direction,  he  decided  to  assume  the  entire 
responsibility  himself!  Calling  upon  his  creditors,  one  after 
another,  he  sought  their  best  terms  of  adjustment,  at  the  same  time 
assuring  them,  if  they  "  pushed  things,"  he  would  be  unable  to 
discharge  even  a  fraction  of  their  just  claims — but  if  allowed  to 
manage  his  embarrassed  affairs  in  his  own  way,  every  dollar  of  the 
indebtedness  would  be  scrupulously  paid.  Whatever  Mr.  NEY- 
HART  required  was  conceded  by  the  creditors,  and  the  sequel  shows 
how  thoroughly  and  faithfully  he  accomplished  his  ends.  Every 
penny  of  the  Association's  liabilities  were  subsequently  paid  by 
him,  amounting  in  all,  principal  and  interest,  to  more  than  $30,000 ! 
While  these  burdens  were  resting  so  heavily  upon  Mr.  NEY- 
HART,  and  he  was  straining  every  nerve  to  relieve  himself  from 
them  by  payment,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Joshua  Pierce 
of  Philadelphia — and  together  they  joined  their  experiences — money 
they  had  none!  This  partnership  began  in  1866.  The  first  ope- 
rations under  this  new  connection  were  successful — one  a  lease  and 
well  upon  "The  Tidioute  and  Warren  Oil  Company's "  lands  at 
Tidioute,  and  another  upon  the  "  New  York  and  Allegany  Oil 
Company's  "  lands,  on  Dennis  Run.  This  may  be  said  to  be  the 
commencement  of  Mr.  NEYH ART'S  career  as  a  successful  oil  pro- 
ducer and  operator,  and  thenceforward  new  investments  and  addi- 


ADNAH   NEYHART.  451 

tional  oil  enterprises  were  entered  upon.  Later  in  the  summer  of 
1866,  the  firm  purchased  a  small  tract  of  oil  land  at  Triumph, 
which  proved  to  be  productive,  but,  unfortunately  for  the  owners, 
about  the  date  of  the  completion  of  their  wells  upon  this  property, 
the  price  of  oil  had  so  far  declined  as  to  render  its  production  un- 
remunerative.  During  the  season  of  1866,  oil  was  sold  at  the  wells 
as  low  as  $1.1 2  J  to  $1.30.  Messrs.  Pierce  &  Ney  hart's  daily  pro- 
duct was  quite  large,  and  deciding  not  to  sell  at  the  losing  prices 
offered,  they  began  the  erection  of  great  iron  tanks — among  the 
first  put  up  at  Tidioute — in  which  to  store  their  own  product,  dis- 
continuing at  the  same  time  their  developing  enterprises,  regarding 
that  part  of  their  business,  as  almost,  if  not  quite  a  failure. 

The  firm  determined  early  in  1867,  to  engage  in  the  shipment 
of  oil  to  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  other  points,  and  to  this 
end  Mr.  Pierce  returned  to  the  former  city,  and  after  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  whole  ground  and  a  thorough  study  of  the  details 
of  the  undertaking,  resolved  to  enter  into  it — Mr.  Pierce  to  remain 
at  Philadelphia  to  receive  and  dispose  of  the  oil,  and  Mr.  NEY- 
HART to  remain  in  the  oil  region  purchasing  and  having  charge  of 
shipments  from  all  points.  This  traffic  was  continued,  steadily 
increasing  in  magnitude  and  importance,  and  requiring  constantly 
augmenting  capital,  until  the  fall  of  1869.  A  few  months  sub- 
sequent to  the  establishment  of  this  shipping  enterprise,  additional 
capital  being  requisite  to  its  successful  conduct,  Mr.  J.  L.  Grandin 
became  a  silent  partner  with  Messrs.  Pierce  &  Neyhart,  contribut- 
ing sufficient  of  his  ample  means,  to  warrant  its  enterprising  pro- 
jectors against  possible  loss.  In  the  fall  of  1869,  in  consequence 
of  the  continual,  oftentimes  petty,  and  not  unfrequently,  insur- 
mountable obstacles  at  the  disposition  of  chartered  transportation 
companies,  which  were  constantly  thrown  in  their  way,  Messrs. 
PIERCE  &  NEYHART  resolved  to  surrender  this  portion  of  their 
enterprises,  and  this  they  did  as  promptly  as  possible,  and  the  part- 
nership was  dissolved. 

Before  leaving  this  point  in  our  sketch  of  Mr.  NEYHART,  some- 


452  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

thing  is  due  to  his  partner,  Mr.  Pierce,  and  justly  so.  He  is  still  a 
resident  of  Philadelphia,  though  wholly  withdrawn  from  business 
connections  with  petroleum  in  any  of  its  varied  branches.  But 
while  he  was  connected  with  it,  and  in  whatever  relation,  he  main- 
tained a  high  character  for  business  excellencies  and  unsullied  per- 
sonal worth.  He  retired  a  few  years  ago  with  a  competency,  ac- 
quired by  industry  and  the  faithful  discharge  of  every  obligation. 
A  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  rare  personal  attractions,  he  is  a 
man  among  a  thousand  to  be  admired  and  commended  for  his  suc- 
cess. 

Mr.  NEYHART  did  not  long  remain  idle.  He  immediately  turned 
his  attention  exclusively  to  developing  new  oil  fields,  and  during 
1869,  70,  and  '71,  became,  with  Grandin  Brothers,  and  David 
Beaty,  one  of  the  largest  producers  in  the  Hickory,  Fagundas  and 
Tidioute  districts.  Early  in  1869,  he  began  negotiations  for  the 
purchase  of  a  one-half  interest  in  the  Beaty  farm;  at  Hickory,  ad- 
joining the  Fagundas  farm  on  the  west.  Developments  in  this 
vicinity  had  unmistakably  indicated  this  and  contiguous  farms  as 
oil  territory,  and  Mr.  IS".,  as  before  remarked,  commenced  negotia- 
tions for  the  purchase  of  all  he  could  obtain  of  the  Beaty  farm. 
Terms  were  finally  agreed  upon,  and  the  transfer  promptly  made, 
and  Messrs.  J.  L.,  E.  B.  and  "W.  J.  Grandin,  with  Mr.  NEYHART 
and  his  brother  Alpheus,  became  one-half  owners  in  fee,  of  the 
David  Beatty  farm.  When  this  transaction  was  finally  consummated, 
all  the  parties  were  at  home,  the  brothers  J.  L.  and  E.  B.  Grandin 
having  returned  from  their  California  tour,  but  Mr.  NEYHART,  with 
the  assent  and  concurrence  of  his  associates,  conducted  the  negotia- 
tions generally,  and  closed  the  transaction.  This  may  be  said  to 
be  true  of  the  subsequent  negotiations  and  purchase  of  five-sixths 
of  the  Fagundas  farm,  together  with  the  lease  upon  the  Wilkins 
farm. 

For  the  one-half  interest  in  the  Beaty  farm  $91,000  was  paid. 
For  five-sixths  of  the  Fagundas  farm,  purchased  soon  after  the 
Beaty  farm  transaction,  $100,000  was  paid.  When  in  1869,  to  70, 


ADNAH    NEYHART.  453 

developments  indicated  the  great  value  of  the  Fagundas  farm 
property,  Mr.  NEYHART  purchased  one-half  of  the  one-sixth  interest 
reserved  by  Jno.  Faguudas  at  the  first  sale,  paying  $25,000  for  it. 
This  latter  purchase,  he  made  upon  his  own  account,  and  holding 
it  for  only  a  few  months,  disposed  of  it  to  Pittsburgh  parties  for 
$50,000. 

Having  been  largely  instrumental  in  securing  these  very  valu- 
able oil  properties,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  E.  B.  Grandin,  he  as- 
sumed the  greater  part  of  the  responsibility  of  developing  and 
rendering  them,  as  they  most  assuredly  have  been,  a  source  of  vast 
wealth  to  the  owners.  Later  in  the  history  of  this  prolific  oil-pro- 
ducing locality,  Mr.  NEYHART  gave  over  the  care  and  control  of  the 
property  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  E.  B.  Grandin,  having  previously 
determined  to  re-engage  in  the  purchase  and  shipment  of  oil  to  the 
sea  board. 

In  June,  1871,  Mr.  NEYHART  became  again  largely  interested  in 
oil  shipments,  principally  to  New  York  City. 

Throughout  the  season  of  1871,  purchases  and  shipments  stea- 
dily increased,  involving  a  large  amount  of  capital — at  times  re- 
quiring three,  four  and  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  During 
the  closing  months  of  1871,  purchases  and  shipments  aggregated 
90,000  barrels  per  month.  The  average  of  shipments  per  month 
from  all  points  in  the  region  are  about  450,000  barrels.  Mr.  NEY- 
HART, may  therefore  at  this  date,  be  regarded  as  the  buyer  and 
shipper  to  the  sea-board,  of  nearly,  if  not  quite  one-quarter  of  the 
product  of  the  entire  oil  region  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  His  own 
ample  capital,  with  that  of  his  partnership  connection  in  other  oil 
enterprises,  promptly  at  his  command  when  required,  afford  him  fa- 
cilities in  this  direction  e.njoyed  or  within  reach  of  few  engaged  in 
like  transactions. 

For  the  year  1872,  negotiations  were  in  progress  for  the  trans- 
portation by  rail  of  100,000  barrels  or  more  of  crude  and  refined 
oil,  per  month.  The  threatened  "  South  Improvement  Company  " 
monopoly,  which  alarmed  the  region  during  the  last  months  of  that 


454  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

year,  to  a  considerable  extent  paralyzed  this  contemplated  enter- 
prise, but  Mr.  NEYHART  continued  his  purchases  and  shipments, 
amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  more  than  100,000  barrels  per 
month,  and  requiring  the  employment  of  quite  half  a  million  of 
dollars,  and  the  handling  of  1,500,000  barrels  of  crude  and  refined 
oil  per  annum.  In  the  present  depressed  state  of  the  oil  market, 
one-half  the  amount  of  capital  required  in  1871,  and  '72,  is  ample 
for  the  successful  conduct  of  this  important  commercial  enterprise. 
With  oil  at  $4  and  $5  per  barrel — when  shall  we  see  this  pros- 
perity again  ? — $400,000  to  $600,000,  and  even  a  larger  sum,  is 
often  required  to  meet  the  demands  of  this  purchasing  and  shipping 
traffic. 

In  the  fall  of  1871,  from  over-taxed  energies  of  both  body  and 
mind,  Mr.  NEYHART'S  health  failed  him,  and  since  that  date, 
while  he  has  had  a  general  oversight  and  control  of  his  great  busi- 
ness concerns,  he  has  yet  practically  withdrawn  from  its  immediate 
direction  and  supervision.  In  the  early  months  of  1872,  he  estab- 
lished a  commission  house  in  the  city  of  New  York  for  the  sale  of 
refined  oil,  placing  Mr.  John  D.  Archibold,  formerly  of  Titusville, 
in  full  charge.  His  crude  oil  sales,  in  the  same  city,  are  made 
through  the  usual  brokerage  channels,  Mr.  Henry  C.  Ohlen  hold- 
ing the  position  of  principal  broker  in  the  crude  oil  department. 

This  entire  shipping  enterprise  is  under  the  sole  responsibility 
and  guidance  of  Mr.  NEYHART,  and  is  wholly  independent  of  other 
partnership  interests  held  by  him  with  the  Grandin  Brothers.  He 
has  an  equal  interest  with  these  gentlemen  in  their  pipe-line  invest- 
ments, as  well  as  their  great  iron  tankage  capacity,  scattered  over 
the  region,  from  Parker's  Landing  to  Titusville  and  Tidioute. 
He  is  also  an  equal  owner  with  these  gentlemen  in  nearly  all  their 
extensive  oil  land  properties,  located  at  various  points  throughout 
the  oil  fields  of  Western  Pennsylvania. 

The  firm  of  Grandins  &  Neyhart  was  organized  in  1868.  Since 
that  date  Mr.  NEYHART  has  partaken  largely  of  its  marvellous 
successes,  and  been  prominently  identified  with  all  its  more  impor- 


ADNAH    NEYHART.  455 

tant  transactions.  We  need  not  remark  upon  the  universally  con- 
ceded financial  solidity  of  this  association  of  capitalists  and  business 
men,  so  thoroughly  recognized  throughout  the  oil  region,  and 
wherever  they  may  be  known.  Suffice  it  to  say,  their  contracts 
are  greenbacks  to  any  amount  they  may  name,  and  their  word  is 
their  bond  to  be  kept  to  the  letter.  In  this  firm,  ADNAH  NEY- 
HART stands  without  blot  or  blemish,  the  soul  of  honor,  and  the 
representative  of  that  class  of  American  business  men,  distinguished 
alike  for  superior  attainments  in  commercial  circles,  and  for  the 
possession  of  that  unconquerable  will  and  determination  to  succeed 
facetiously  termed  "  pluck,"  and  which,  sooner  or  later,  hews  its 
own  way  to  power,  and  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred, 
achieves  the  success  it  so  richly  deserves. 

In  person,  Mr.  NEYHART  is  tall,  well-proportioned,  and  in  per- 
fect -health  has  a  commanding  presence,  and  at  all  times  a  dignified 
manner.  In  his  intercourse  with  all,  he  manifests  a  reserve  which 
may  often  be  mistaken  for  austerity  or  a  domineering  spirit. 
Nothing  is  further  from  his  composition.  He  is  a  man  of  thought 
and  reflective  inclinations,  yet  possessing  rare  social  excellencies, 
of  plain,  unassuming  manners,  and  simple,  unaffected  tastes.  These 
prominent  characteristics  are  liable  to  be  attributed  to  other  than 
their  true  sources,  and  thus  the  true  gold  of  his  manhood  be  mis- 
understood and  misapprehended.  In  matters  of  business,  Mr. 
NEYHART  says  just  what  he  means,  and  in  as  few  words  as  will 
convey  his  real  intent.  There  is  no  guile  or  deceptive  traits  in  his 
character.  Integrity  and  personal  worth  are  his  in  an  abundant 
degree.  He  is  sternly  honest  and  rigidly  upright  in  all  his  life, 
both  private  and  public.  As  a  business  man,  he  ranks  among  the 
leading,  successful  operators  of  the  Oil  Region,  and  is  recognized 
wherever  he  is  known  as  a  comprehensive,  clear-sighted  financier, 
a  cool,  well-poised  man  of  business,  capable,  mentally,  of  working 
out  to  successful  results  any  mercantile,  commercial  or  financial 
problem  that  may  engage  his  mind  or  command  his  energies. 

For  a  year  or  more,  Mr.  NEYHAET  has  been  compelled  to  with- 


456  HISTOEY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

draw  from  the  immediate  control  of  his  large  business  affairs, 
because  of  impaired  health.  In  the  fall  of  1872,  he  sought,  by 
travel  and  release  from  business  cares,  to  re-invigorate  his  over- 
taxed body  and  brain.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1872-3,  in  traver- 
sing the  great  plains  lying  west  of  the  Missouri  river,  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  into  the  pure  air  of  Colorado.  Thence  he  went 
through  New  Mexico  and  Texas  to  Florida  and. the  southern  states, 
returning  to  his  home  at  Tidioute  in  the  -early  part  of  June  last, 
much  improved,  and  with  strong  hopes  of  an  ultimate  restoration 
to  his  old-time  vigor  and  health. 


Woodbiirylype.   A.  P.  K.P.  Co..  Ph 


E.   B.   GRANDIN, 


J5,  A.  OUA.NDIN. 


E.  B.  GEA:;I>IN. 

TIDlon  ,;..  T'.-;v.,xA. 

««r  wealthy  relatives.     Alon  3=.;  bt*-'<;Y'-'-   ri.«-::  *j  »  & 
j^ivi-:1     ; oko  of  fbrttino — u».  ;'•-.»*• 

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i'-^  folJo^iii^  .sketch. 

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:i>^d  at  •.;*«  .:••'  •:•-.  ti;.  ,.:  •*<*  approbation  of  liift 


E.  B.  GRANDIN.  457 


E.  B.   GKANDIN. 

TIDIOUTE,  PENJSTA. 

SUCCESS  in  life,  is  said  to  be  a  passport  to  popular  favor.  This 
is  especially  true,  where  success  has  been  attained  through  indi- 
vidual effort,  and  without  the  aid  or  assistance  of  influential  friends 
or  wealthy  relatives.  Men  do  become  rich  and  great,  at  one  and 
the  same  stroke  of  fortune — at  least  this  seems  to  be  the  public  es- 
timate in  innumerable  instances — and  we  would  fain  believe  the 
public  voice  is  not  always  at  fault.  But  the  man,  who,  through 
years  of  practical  industry,  and  zealous  attention  to  his  business 
affairs,  acquires  a  competency,  and  at  the  same  time  builds  up  and 
rigidly  maintains  for  himself,  a  character  for  integrity  and  unsul- 
lied honesty,  not  only  wins,  but  deserves  the  plaudits  and  com- 
mendations of  his  fellows.  Among  this  class  of  leading  men  in 
the  Oil  Region  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  we  place  the  subject  of 
the  following  sketch. 

ELIJAH  BISHOP  GRANDIN,  is  a  native  of  Tidioute,  Warren  Co., 
Pa.,  where  he  was  born  on  the  23d  day  of  November,  1840.  He 
is  the  youngest  son  of  SAMUEL  GRANDIN,  Esq.,  of  Tidioute,  and 
brother  of  J.  Livingston  Grandin,  a  sketch  of  whom  immediately 
precedes  this. 

As  soon  as  his  age  would  permit,  young  GRANDIN  was  sent  to 
school,  and  kept  there,  summer  and  winter,  without  much  inter- 
ruption, until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  At  this  age,  with  the  as- 
sent and  approval  of  his  father  and  family,  he  left  his  home,  and 
entered  the  mercantile  establishment  of  S.  J.  Goodrich,  at  Warren, 
Pa.,  as  a  general  clerk.  This  was  in  the  early  spring  of  1856.  A 
year's  labor  with  Mr.  Goodrich,  gave  him  a  tolerable  knowledge  of 
the  business,  and  at  the  same  time  won  for  him  the  approbation  of  his 


460  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

of  this  mercantile  enterprise  had  doubled,  and  quadrupled  under 
Mr.  GRANDIN'S  supervision,  and  at  the  date  of  this  co-partnership 
(1862;)  greater  facilities  were  required  and  additional  room  de- 
manded for  the  transaction  of  their  constantly  increasing  trade.  A 
new  and  more  commodious  structure  was  erected  to  accommodate 
the  business  of  the  new  firm,  and  their  stock  of  goods  and  wares 
materially  added  to.  Besides  this  latter  responsibility,  Mr.  GRAN- 
DIN still  had  the  care  and  supervision  of  Mr.  Hyde's  daily  aug- 
menting oil  interests  and  investments — among  the  most  important 
of  which  was  the  Widow  Davidson — or  as  it  is  now  known,  the 
Hyde  and  Egbert  farm  purchase. 

At  this  early  day  in  the  history  of  petroleum,  there  was  little 
system  or  order  in  the  conduct  of  the  great  oil  well  interests.  The 
oil  was  produced  and  tanked — sales  made,  the  money  received,  and 
the  amount  divided  among  the  fortunate  owners  of  interests,  with- 
out delay.  This,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  A.  G.  Egbert,  was  Mr. 
GRANDIN'S  portion  of  the  labor — see  to  the  product  of  each  well, 
sell  and  deliver  the  oil  on  hand,  and  receive  pay  for  it — and  as 
soon  as  practicable  thereafter,  pay  over  the  proceeds  to  the  rightful 
owners. 

The  mercantile  firm  of  Hyde,  Grandin  &  Co.,  (William  C.  Hyde, 
now  Vice-President  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Titusville, 
being  also  a  member  of  the  firm,)  was  dissolved  at  the  expiration 
of  one  year's  successful  operations,  Mr.  GRANDIN  purchasing  the 
interests  of  the  remaining  partners,  and  thenceforward  until  1865, 
he  conducted  the  enterprise  upon  his  own  account.  Under  his  pro- 
prietorship and  individual  control,  and  we  may  add  because  of  his 
rare  business  tact,  prosperity,  deserved  and  positive,  was  vouch- 
safed to  him. 

In  1865,  one-half  this  mercantile  enterprise  was  re-sold  to  Mr. 
Charles  Hyde,  and  the  firm  of  Hyde  &  Grandin,  continued  the 
business  until  1869,  or '70,  when  the  stock  was  transferred  to  Mr. 
E.  D.  Fleteher,  of  Titusville,  and  thereafter  the  establishment  at 
Hydetown  ceased  to  exist. 


E.  B.  GRANDIN.  461 

During  Mr.  GRANDIN'S  sole  ownership  and  direction  of  the  Hyde- 
town  mercantile  enterprise,  from  1862,  to  1865,  he  became  quite 
extensively  interested  in  and  identified  with  the  oil  developments 
of  "the  Creek."  In  the  spring  of  1863,  he  purchased  a  one- 
eighth  interest  in  "  The  Keystone  lease,"  located  upon  the  Hyde 
&  Egbert  farm,  and  during  the  same  summer  two  wells  were 
drilled  on  this  property — one  of  which  produced  from  the  start  50 
to  60  barrels  per  day.  The  interest  he  held  in  this  lease  was  dis- 
posed of  before  the  second  well  was  down,  for^  $9,000 — this  sum 
being  nearly  all  "  clear  profit."  Prior  to  this  transaction  Mr.  G. 
had  purchased  interests  and  secured  leases  upon  territory  at  or  near 
the  junction  of  Pine  Creek  with  Oil  Creek,  below  Titus ville,  and 
these  also,  from  prompt  sales,  proved  to  be  sources  of  considerable 
profit. 

This  may  be  said  to  be  true  of  very  many  of  his  subsequent 
ventures.  He  acquired  interests  in  leases  at  various  points  along 
"  the  Creek,  (and  yet  undeveloped,)  but  he  made  it  a  point  to  dis- 
pose of  his  property  thus  held  whenever  he  could  do  so  at  a  fair 
advance.  This  policy,  uniformly  practiced  in  all  his  early  opera- 
tions in  oil  property,  enables  him  to  assert  that  he  suffered  no 
loss  upon  any  lease  or  on  well  interests  held  by  him.  Soon  after 
Messrs.  Hyde  &  Egbert  obtained  possession  of  the  Davidson  farm, 
they  gave  leases  to  parties  applying  for  them,  usually  at  one-half 
royalty.  This  continued  only  a  short  time,  however,  for  the  pro- 
.perty  began  to  develop  and  produce  largely — and  leases  were 
finally  declined  altogether,  the  owners  preferring  to  operate  it  them- 
selves. In  the  spring  of  1864,  because  of  personal  considerations, 
doubtless,  Mr.  GRANDIN,  A.  C.  Kepler,  William  C.  Hyde  and 
Titus  Kidgeway  obtained  a  small  lease  upon  the  farm,  a  little 
removed  from  developments  already  made.  This  lease  comprised 
about  one  acre  of  land,  and  was  located  upon  the  western  bounda- 
.  ries  of  the  Hyde  &  Egbert  farm,  and  a  few  rods  from  Oil  Creek. 
The  lessees  contracted  to  give  the  land  owners  a  royalty  of  three- 
quarters  of  the  oil  I  The  usual  royalty  at  this  date,  at  all  points 


462  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

on  "  the  Creek,"  was  one-half.    It  is  safe  to  add  that  no  lease  before 
or  since  made,  gave  so  large  a  royalty  to  the  land  owners. 

The  well  was  located  by  Mr.  Kepler,  and  by  him  named  "  The 
Coquet/'  and  soon  after  the  work  of  drilling  began.  One-half  the 
"working  interest"  in  this  well  was  owned  jointly  by  Mr. GRAN- 
DIN  and  Mr.  Kepler,  and  the  other  half  of  a  like  interest,  was  held 
by  "VV.  C.  Hyde  and  Mr.  Ridgeway.  Each  of  these  "  half  work- 
ing interests  "  drew  one-eighth  of  the  oil,  and  the  other  six-eighths 
went  to  the  land  proprietors  !  A  few  days  before  the  well  was 
"  struck,"  or  completed,  Messrs.  Hyde  &  Ridgeway  sold  their  half 
of  the  "working  interest,"  for  $10,000!  This  interest,  after 
changing  hands  once  or  twice,  finally  became  the  property  of  Dr. 
M.  C.  Egbert,  a  brother  of  the  original  purchaser  of  the  farm,  who 
had  meantime  become  the  possessor  by  purchase  of  a  one-sixth  in- 
terest in  fee,  of  the  entire  property.  At  the  date  of  the  sale  by 
Messrs.  Hyde  and  Kidgeway,  GRANDIN  and  Kepler  were  offered 
the  same  sum  for  their  interest,  and  declined  it.  The  well  was 
subsequently  completed,  and  was  pumped  ten  or  twelve  days,  pro- 
ducing daily  two  or  three  hundred  barrels.  The  flow  of  gas  inter- 
fered materially  with  its  operations,  and  it  was  determined  to  draw 
the  sucker  rods.  This  done,  the  well  commenced  to  flow,  and  for 
the  first  few  days  its  product  was  variously  estimated  at  1,000  to 
1200  barrels.  It  finally  settled  down  to  800  barrels,  and  at  this 
rate  it  produced  for  many  months.  Immediately  after  "  the  Co- 
quet" began  to  produce  in  such  bountiful  quantities,  Messrs. 
GRANDIN  &  KEPLER  were  offered  large  sums  of  money  for  their 
one-half  working  interest.  The  price  they  finally  put  upon  it,  was 
$150,000!  Three  months  after,  and  while  the  well  was  gushing 
forth  its  eight  hundred  barrel  stream,  they  disposed  of  it  to  Mr. 
Frank  Allen,  of  New  York  City,  the  consideration  being  $145,- 
000,  or  $75,500  for  each  one-sixteenth  of  the  product  of  the  well ! 
During  Messrs.  GRANDIN  &  KEPLER'S  ownership  of  the  interest, 
the  prices  of  oil  ranged  at  a  high  figure,  and  the  first  10,000  bar- 
rels sold  from  the  "  Coquet,"  brought  $9.00  per  barrel,  or  $90,000 
in  round  greenback  numbers ! 


E.   B.   GRANDIN.  463 

We  have  given  this  detailed  history  of  "The  Coquet  Well/' 
and  Mr.  GRANDIN'S  connection  with  it,  first  because  of  the  romantic 
interest  attaching  to  it,  and  its  marvellous  product,  as  also  the  great 
wealth  it  brought  to  its  owners ; — and  second,  because  it  may  be 
regarded  as  the  basis  upon  which  Mr.  GRANDIN  laid  the  foundations 
of  his  later  fortunes  and  present  wealth.  From  this  single  invest- 
ment, which  at  the  commencement  involved  an  outlay  of  $2,000 
to  $3,000,  he  realized  from  the  sale  of  his  portion  of  the  product 
of  the  well,  during  his  three  or  four  months  ownership  of  it,  not 
less  than  $10,000.  Add  to  this  the  sum  received  for  the  interest 
when  sold— $72,500,  and  we  have  a  total  of  $82,500,  all  but  $2,500 
of  which  may  be  regarded  as  profit !  While  fortune  was  thus 
showering  its  gifts  upon  him,  he  was  the  possessor  of  many  other 
paying  ventures,  nearly  all  of  which  brought  him  large  and  remu- 
nerative gains.  At  the  date  of  these  transactions — 1864,  and  '65, 
Mr.  GRANDIN  was  scarcely  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  yet  by 
his  energy,  careful  business  ventures  and  successful  operations  in 
oil  lands,  leases  and  oil  well  interests,  he  had  accumulated  a  hand- 
some fortune,  all  without  special  aid  or  assistance  from  relatives  or 
friends.  His  ^father,  having  ample  means,  upon  several  occasions 
offered  to  aid  him  in  his  enterprises,  but  he  determined  to  stand  or 
fall  upon  his  own  efforts,  and  accomplished  his  aims  most  successfully. 

After  the  sale  of  the  "  Coquet  Well "  interest,  Mr.  GRANDIN 
resolved  to  dispose  of  his  oil  properties  and  interests,  of  whatever 
name  and  nature,  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  did  so,  as  far  as  he 
was  able  to. 

He  still  held  and  gave  such  attention  to  his  mercantile  interests 
at  Hydetown,  as  they  required  at  his  hands.  The  business  had 
steadily  increased,  and  his  profits  as  a  sequence,  yearly  grew  apace. 
This  co-partnership,  as  before  remarked,  terminated  in  1870,  when 
the  stock  was  sold  to  other  parties,  and  the  establishment  closed. 
With  the  exception  of  this  mercantile  enterprise,  Mr.  GRANDIN 
had  little  else  to  engage  his  attention  for  a  year  or  more,  save  the 
remaining  unsold  interests  of  his  earlier  operations,  and  later  in- 


464  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

vestments  made  at  West  Pit  Hole,  and  elsewhere,  in  other  producing 
localities. 

In  1867,  Mr.  GRAXDIN  again  became  a  permanent  resident  of 
Tidioute,  his  ample  means  husbanded  for  immediate  use.  His  first 
operations  here,  some  months  later,  indicate  his  well-defined  plans 
for  the  future.  He  commenced  by  purchasing  a  one-quarter  inter- 
est in  what  was  then  and  is  now  known  as  the  "  Valley  Tank." 
Later  during  the  same  season,  he  largely  increased  his  tankage 
investments,  and  as  occasion  offered,  bought  oil  upon  a  "  low  mar- 
ket," and  carried  it  over  for  better  prices.  There  has  not  been  a 
year  since  1862,  or  '63,  that  the  difference  in  prices  of  this  great 
staple  has  not  varied  from  one  to  three  dollars  per  barrel,  during 
each  year.  Not  unfrequently  prices  have  fluctuated  to  even  wider 
points ;  but  the  general  average,  we  believe,  has  been  about  one 
dollar  per  barrel,  in  favor  of  the  buyer  and  holder  for  better  rates. 
Mr.  G.  steadily  enlarged  this  branch  of  his  petroleum  operations, 
from  year  to  year,  subsequently  merging  his  business  interests  and 
investments  in  this  direction,  with  those  of  his  brother,  J.  L.  Gran- 
din,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Adnah  Neyhart,  who  are  now  co-part- 
ners in  portions  of  the  extensive  tankage  owned  by^Grandins*  and 
Neyhart,  at  Tidioute  and  vicinity,  at  Parker's  Landing  and  Brady's 
Bend,  at  Miller  Farm,  on  Oil  Creek,  and  at  Titusville.  At 
times  during  every  year  since  1868,  it  has  been  no  uncommon 
occurrence  for  Mr.  GRANDIN  and  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber, to  have  in  store  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  oil, 
purchased  upon  a  depressed  market — and  this  over  and  above  their 
own  large  production,  which  averaged  in  1869,  '70,  quite  fifteen 
hundred  barrels  daily,  and  is  at  this  date  fully  five  hundred  barrels 
per  day. 

A  single  statistical  statement,  and  we  leave  this  branch  of  our 
subject.  The  tankage  capacity  owned  by  the  Messrs.  Grandins  (J. 
L.  &  E.  B.)  and  Mr.  Neyhart  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  75,000 
barrels,  of  which  E.  B.  GRANDIN,  is  one-third  owner.  In  addition 
to  this,  the  brothers  Grandin,  Adnah  Neyhart  and  David  Beaty 


E.   B.   GRANDIN.  465 

own  a  tankage  capacity,  located  at  Parker's  Landing  and  elsewhere 
in  the  region,  of  85,000  barrels,  of  which  E.  B.  GRANDIN  is  one- 
quarter  owner.* 

In  1867,  Mr.  GRANDIN  purchased  one-half  the  OIL  INTEREST  in 
the  Royal  Scott  farm  at  Fagundas.  This  was  a  year  or  more  prior 
to  developments  in  that  locality.  This  property  he  held  until 
the  "  Venture  Well "  was  struck  in  1868,  and  then  disposed  of 
three-fourths  of  his  purchase  to  Fisher  Bros,  and  others,  reserving 
a  one-quarter  ownership  and  interest  to  himself.  This  property 
proved  to  be  abundantly  productive,  and  the  interest  reserved  in  it 
at  the  commencement  of  developments,  is  still  held  by  Mr.  GRAN- 
DIN,  and  is  a  source  of  considerable  revenue  to  him.  While  ope- 
rations were  in  progress  upon  this  farm  in  1869-' 70,  Mr.  G. 
obtained  a  lease  upon  it,  and  put  down  several  wells  upon  his  own 
account,  all  of  which  proved  to  be  largely  remunerative. 

This  imperfect  sketch  of  Mr.  GRANDIN'S  early  and  later  opera- 
tions as  an  oil  producer,  with  an  enlarged  and  increasing  traffic  in 
lands,  leases,  product,  etc.,  has  been  necessarily  void  of  detail.  To 
follow  up  and  particularize  even  a  fraction  of  his  very  many  ven- 
tures and  investments,  would  require  time  and  space  we  could 
hardly  devote  to  it.  It  is,  however,  but  "  the  vindication  of  the 
truth  of  history"  to  say,  that  from  the  beginning  of  his  oil  enter- 
prises in  1860,  (long  before  reaching  his  majority,)  he  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  this  -great  national  benefaction,  and  is 
to-day  regarded  as  one  of  its  leading  influential  men.  The  firm  of 
Grandins  &  Neyhart,  of  which  Mr.  E.  B.  GRANDIN  is  a  member, 
has  a  representative  character,  co-extensive  with  the  history  of 
petroleum  itself.  The  enterprises  of  these  gentlemen,  the  steady 
and  liberal  employment  of  their  large  capital  in  seeking  new  fields 
for  development,  place  them  in  the  front  rank  of  oil  producers  in 

*  Mr.  GRANDIN  is  equal  owner  in  the  Beaty  farm,  and  holds  a  like  interest  in  the 
Fagundas  farm  with  his  brothers,  J.  L.  and  W.  J.  Grandin,  and  Mr.  A.  Neyhart. 
There  are  other  oil  interests  held  by  the  firm,  unnecessary  to  mention  here,  in  which 
Mr.  G.  is  an  equal  owner  with  the  remaining  partners. 

30 


466  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

Western  Pennsylvania.  Nearly  all  their  developing  operations  of 
later  years  have  been  inaugurated  by  lease  or  purchase,  in  the  name 
of  one  or  other  of  the  partners,  and  subsequently  by  a  sale  to  each 
of  the  remaining  partners.  Thus  have  their  interests  harmonized, 
and  all  things  have  worked  together  for  good.  There  are  and  have 
been,  of  course,  individual  ownerships  of  valuable  leases  and  oil 
lands  held  by  one  or  all  the  partners,  at  various  dates  during  their 
associated  operations.  This  is  true  of  some  recent  purchases  of  Mr. 
E.  B.  GRANDIX.  He  holds  by  late  investments,  interests  he  deems 
to  be  valuable,  and  has  determined  to  develop  them  himself.  But 
very  many  of  the  larger  and  more  important  and  lucrative  under- 
takings of  the  firm  of  Grandins  &  Neyhart,  have  in  later  years  thus 
had  their  inception — one  of  the  parties  has  purchased  or  leased 
tracts  of  land  for  oil  development,  and  the  firm  has  immediately 
assumed  the  transaction  and  executed  the  contract  to  the  letter. 
This  mode  and  manner  of  conducting  and  augmenting  their  ex- 
tended and  constantly  extending  business  operations,  has  given 
them  a  prominence  as  producers,  buyers  and  sellers  of  petroleum, 
second  to  no  firm  or  association  of  capitalists  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Oil  region. 

Mr.  GRANDIN  is  the  owner,  independent  of  his  associates,  of 
considerable  oil  property  of  undoubted  value,  which  it  is  his  de- 
termination to  operate  and  develop  in  the  future  as  his  own  enter- 
prise. He  is  besides  part  owner  in  the  extensive  oil  pipe  lines  of 
the  firm  of  Grandins  &  Neyhart,  a  detailed  statement  of  which  will 
be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Grandin,  in  the  preceding 
pages. 

We  have  thus  imperfectly  sketched  the  career  of  ELIJAH 
BISHOP  GRANDIN,  who  began  life  as  a  merchant's  clerk,  and  who 
with  the  early  discoveries  of  petroleum,  and  while  yet  a  minor, 
had  earned  for  himself  an  enviable  position  as  a  successful  oil  pro- 
ducer and  operator.  All  this  he  accomplished  by  his  own  personal 
efforts.  There  are  those  who  may  charge  this  flattering  record, 
and  its  attendant  successes,  to  "  good  luck."  Very  much  of  it  may 


E.    B.    GRAKDIN.  4G7 

be  ascribed  to  this,  but  the  major  part  of  it,  is  due  to  superior 
business  sagacity  and  clear-headed  financial  discernment.  That  he 
has  deserved  his  success,  none  will  dispute  or  question,  and  deserv- 
ing and  attaining  ought  always,  as  in  this  instance,  to  go  hand  in 
hand. 

In  person,  Mr.  GKANDIN  is  below  the  medium  height  and 
size,  but  he  is  a  man  of  compact  build,  of  nervous-lymphatic  tem- 
perament, of  active,  well  developed  brain,  and  substantial  physical 
power.  Much  of  this  is  due  to  his  temperate,  unexceptionable 
habits  of  life.  Quick  in  perception,  his  conclusions  are  arrived  at 
without  circumlocution,  and  his  movements  are  rapid,  and  his  aims 
high.  He  evidently  enjoys  the  making  of  money,  more  than  he 
does  its  hoarding  after  it  is  acquired.  Yet  he  has  a  just  estimate 
of  its  value,  and  disposes  of  it  wisely  and  well.  In  his  private 
relations  as  well  as  in  his  associations  with  neighbors  and  friends, 
he  is  genial  and  full  of  good-nature,  with  enough  of  the  milk  of 
human  kindness  to  prompt  him  to  aid  the  deserving,  encourage 
the  unfortunate,  and  lighten  the  burdens  of  the  needy.  In  all 
respects,  he  may  be  said  to  be  a  generous  man,  liberal,  without  os- 
tentation with  his  ample  means,  in  every  good  work.  Instances 
of  his  generosity  bountifully  dealt  out  to  young  tradesmen,  and 
deserving  industrious  mechanics  of  his  native  town,  and  elsewhere 
in  the  oil  region,  are  not  wanting  in  proof  of  this  trait  of  his  cha- 
racter, many  of  which  are  rehearsed  by  the  recipients  of  his  favors, 
with  gratitude  and  grateful  remembrances. 

As  a  business  man,  he  ranks  among  the  best,  as  he  is  unques- 
tionably among  the  most  successful,  in  the  oil  region.  He  is  ac- 
tive, comprehensive,  energetic,  and  always  reliable.  Honorable  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  he  requires  neither  seals  nor  bonds  to 
hold  him  to  his  engagements.  His  word  once  given,  if  involving 
even  the  expenditure  of  thousands  of  dollars  on  his  part,  is  as 
faithfully  adhered  to  and  executed  as  if  bound  by  forfeitures  of  dou- 
ble the  sum  of  the  original  transaction.  He  is,  in  short,  a  thorough- 
ly earnest  and  honest  man,  one  whom  the  people  of  all  grades  of 


468  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

society  regard  as  above  the  trickery  and  the  sharpness  of  mere 
"  money  making,"  honoring  at  all  times,  and  illustrating  in  every- 
day life,  not  only  the  outward  appearance  and  manners,  but  the  gen- 
uine traits  and  kindly  feelings  of  a  true  gentleman.  He  is  yet  a  young 
man — scarcely  thirty-three  years  of  age — in  the  full  vigor  of  man- 
hood and  usefulness.  His  past  experiences  and  triumphs — for 
such  his  career  has  been — are  but  indexes  to  other  successes  and 
more  important  achievements.  To  such  a  future  we  confidently 
commit  him,  assured  that  he  will  not  alone  maintain  his  unblem- 
ished repute  for  integrity,  probity,  and  high  personal  and  commer- 
cial honor,  now  so  happily  united  to  rare  business  talent,  and 
private  worth,  but  that  he  will  add  to  his  renown  in  these  regards, 
as  the  years  roll  by,  and  age,  with  its  attendant  and  increasing  re- 
sponsibilities, creeps  upon  him. 


Woodhurytype.   A.  P.  K.P.  Co.,  Philt 


S.   D.   KARNS. 


S.    l>,    KARNtf. 


^n;P!IRN  J>L'YC\X  KA.ilXS. 

JMldri  M'X    ...,,  S.t.'.v   :,    >Vt. 

Ai  R.  j.'v.-VK :•.":-   >••••  -    :;.'<'  i     ;?.  :     •.••  "V^'*'-    >..!    I'Von-         llli;l_,  V-OI'J,   Ji.  iht 
eoi-ntv  ui' A  • '-.     !,'-nv   •  -n*.  •:•  t\v^iilv  iniicr  'ii»<»'.  •   ?J:  •;  ijv  -.;r'  L:""i,':-!)';i'Lh 

Mi;-!  !J.IV't;S(-:.>rS  >','-.•  r».'.  ••!    I.:>h   <  "tni.  fi'^1,  a;.   :    .  •>!!    T'-;  '<!  (••   !:liH  '.:•"•  n- 

iryt-irly  in  tljo  List  "oniiL        They  mm;       J'^-'i^ii  .!/.  ar..,l  ^ln'i-tlv 
aftr-r  fi»o!-:  iq.  a  I-ri>vj  ir  .    I.:K;  Lciak,-:'  ••;'    tii<*  A '.•..••;  h:-:-j;v 

vJ.-initv  \y(;-  ;  j)r<\ty  ^f-n-iTi'} v  ^ivi:!,  ovor  t'->  thi-1      'Ar  Ccvrk-fmjO'i;  - 

t-      »  -      *  .  •  '       T"^k  '          I  * '  I 

;;t^"  oi    So]    -;;!)<.::-.    i  «s  |:J.      Ii<:   \v;«-   fn<,   v«0->    of    v. hr-'Y? 
-'••>T-  as  he  .VLiaiiiC'.l  ;:  -suitviblp  M;^  in.  v\.&      •  i  *••••    -i.vuoo.!.  M^j   ki :'»>.'' 
•••ere  ,t:rwu]iiy  until  L*   vrrMrhod  the  a^<:  of'  In  »ri  ».»ar-.      tie  :iitu« 

-••^Af.  nionr.ii    jtc.<i  ;-:.ifif^r:  -••-.(  ifu*  £*  Iron  C."'iff  v.. :'-•"•> -r-i'U  •''.•oi'-:i;''?," 

Pittsburgh,  U?H]    •-.;h»;»i    'u    '-ti?    -iv:o<:;jK   y^*1.  he   gT;;daateil  at 

;i?'*s  C«»iuir-.jn:ial<  *!>'l«g«v?"  HJ  ihfi  ::;,Mf.>f:  ciiy.     Tiii«  briefly 

O..W.I-  .•  :.-,.«i  rli,"  K-r-ky  M-Mf^iLrr  .*Hve''  r^i«"B.     r^ii«  tri[»_,  \vjuch 

pnni-     ',  ti'j   iw]   8'n    'no1;-.:    •   'd     j.^  -f- ?..>:« ,  boc   *):•'    rffurned   to  hi- 

•     ••a.'.iS,  and  a  bet- 


S.   D,   KARNS.  4G9 


STEPHEN  DUNCAN  KARNS. 

PARKER'S  LANDING,  PA. 

MR.  KARNS  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  the 
county  of  Allegheny,  some  twenty  miles  above  the  city  of  Pittsburgh, 
on  the  Allegheny  River,  in  what  is  known  as  the  Salt  Well  Region. 
His  ancestors  were  of  Irish  extraction,  and  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try early  in  the  last  century.  They  came  to  Pittsburgh,  and  shortly 
after  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  banks  of  the  Allegheny 
River,  and  began  to  clear  it  up  for  agricultural  purposes.  Years 
after  their  settlement  there,  salt  was  discovered,  and  the  lands  in  the 
vicinity  were  pretty  generally  given  over  to  this  new  development — 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  entering  largely  into  the  en- 
terprise. It  was  here  S.  DUNCAN  KARNS  was  born,  on  the  21st 
day  of  September,  1843.  He  was  the  eldest  of  three  sons.  As 
soon  as  he  attained  a  suitable  age  he  was  sent  to  school,  and  kept 
there  steadily  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  then 
entered  the  Turtle  Creek  Academy,  located  near  Pittsburgh,  and 
remained  two  years  in  that  institution.  Subsequently  he  spent 
some  months  as  a  student  in  the  "  Iron  City  Commercial  College," 
at  Pittsburgh,  and  when  in  his  sixteenth  year,  he  graduated  at 
"  Duff's  Commercial  College,"  in  the  same  city.  This  briefly  given 
record  constituted  all  his  educational  advantages. 

In  the  spring  of  1859,  then  in  his  sixteenth  year,  he  resolved  to 
see  the  "  western  country,"  and  set  out  with  a  party  bound  for 
Colorado  and  the  Rocky  Mountain  silver  region.  This  trip,  which 
seems  to  have  been  undertaken  more  as  an  adventure  than  for 
profit,  occupied  six  months  of  his  time,  but  he  returned  to  his 
home,  with  broader  views  of  life  and  its  responsibilities,  and  a  bet- 


472  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

bility  to  find  men  who  would  risk  themselves  in  the  labor  of  exca- 
vation, the  earth  being  of  a  sort  of  quick-sand,  or  loam  and  rock 
together,  which  constantly  caved  in,  rendering  it  extremely'  hazard- 
ous to  operate.  Indeed,  once  when  the  excavation  had  been  nearly 
completed,  Mr.  KARNS,  who  did  most  of  the  work  himself,  left  for 
dinner,  and  during  his  absence  the  banks  caved  in,  and  the  hole 
filled  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface.  The  "  Conductor  hole  " 
was  again  cleaned  out  by  Mr.  K.,  and  the  pipe  driven  fourteen  feet 
in  addition  to  the  twenty-eight  feet  of  excavation.  All  this  labor 
accomplished,  ordinarily,  in  a  few  days,  required  six  weeks  of 
valuable  time  before  the  drilling  began ! 

The  well  was  completed  in  September  following.  The  oil  rock 
was  found  at  the  same  depth  as  that  in  neighboring  wells ;  but  as 
a  matter  of  experiment,  and  to  settle  the  question  of  other  and  lower 
sand  rocks,  Mr.  KARNS  put  it  down  to  the  depth  of  1,065  feet — 
250  feet  below  any  well  before  or  since  drilled  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Parker's  Landing  No  additional  sand  rock  was  found, 
and  the  well  was  thereupon  "  tubed  and  tested."  After  pumping 
three  days,  it  commenced  to  produce  less  than  a  barrel  of  oil  per 
day.  The  pumping  continued  on  through  the  fall  and  winter, 
gradually  increasing,  and  at  the  end  of  three  months'  active  opera- 
tions the  product  was  about  three  barrels  per  day.  In  the  spring 
of  1867,  the  oil  from  the  well  was  sold  at  $2.40  per  barrel,  leaving 
the  plucky  proprietor  largely  indebted  for  expenses  of  the  fall  and 
winter's  operations.  Far  from  discouragement,  and  with  no  idea 
of  abandoning  his  enterprise,  as  he  was  earnestly  advised  to  do 
upon  all  hands,  he  redoubled  his  efforts,  and  from  April,  1867, 
up  to  late  in  the  summer  of  1868,  he  "steadily  clung  to  his  task/' 
the  well  meantime,  gradually  increasing  its  product  up  to  eight,  ten 
and  twelve  barrels  per  day.  Oil  during  these  twelve  to  sixteen 
months  was  sold  at  more  remunerative  prices,  and  the  return  from 
the  well  was  a  source  of  revenue  and  profit.  Later,  the  product  les- 
sened, and  in  the  fall  of  1869,  it  was  a  good  day's  work  to  pump 
one  barrel  from  her.  At  this  juncture  it  was  torpedoed,  and  the 


8.  D.  KARNS.  473 

product  immediately  increased  to  twenty-seven  barrels  per  day ! 
continuing  at  this  standard  for  five  or  six  months,  when  it  began 
to  fall  off,  and  steadily  went  the  wrong  way,  until  it  reached  four 
barrels  and  a  half,  which  is  the  product  of  the  well  at  this  writing 
-March,  1873. 

During  the  life  of  this  first  well,  named  "Karns'  Well,  No.  1," 
it  has  realized  to  its  enterprising  owners,  by  judicious  management 
and  care,  over  $30,000  in  profits ! 

We  have  been  particular  in  our  detailed  account  of  this  well, 
because  it  illustrates,  better  than  any  language  we  can  employ,  the 
determined  character  of  the  gentleman  whose  sketch  we  are  endea- 
voring to  write.  Not  one  man  in  one  hundred,  would  have  re- 
garded this  well  as  worth  more  than  a  month's  effort.  Mr.  KARNS, 
however,  persuaded  himself  that  the  well  could  be  made  to  pay  by 
steady  pumping,  and  the  correctness  of  his  impressions  was  fully 
realized  in  the  subsequent  history  of  its  product  and  large  profit. 

In  the  summer  of  1868,  Mr.  KARNS  leased  from  the  land  own- 
ers, an  abandoned  well,  belonging  to,  or  put  down  by  "  The  Miles 
Oil  Co.,  of  N.  Y."  some  time  in  1866.  The  first  operators  sup- 
posed they  had  reached  the  "third  sand,"  or  oil  rock,  and  had 
given  it  up  as  a  "dry  hole."  Mr.  KARNS,  full  in  the  faith  that 
the  rock  was  still  below,  leased  the  property  from  the  original  land 
owners,  and  put  the  drill  through  the  third  sand,  and  from  the 
start  it  produced  twenty-four  barrels  per  day  !  This  well  had  been 
abandoned  more  than  eighteen  months.  It  was  located  south  of, 
or  below  Parker's  Landing,  nearly  a  mile  from  other  developments. 
When  Mr.  K.  avowed  his  determination  to  resuscitate  it,  his 
neighbors  and  cotemporaries  fairly  jeered  at  him.  Every  means 
was  resorted  to,  to  dissuade  him  from  his  purpose,  but  without 
avail.  Regardless  of  the  universally  expressed  opinion  that  it  was 
dry  territory,  he  began  his  enterprise,  cleaned  out  the  old  well,  put 
in  the  drill,  ran  it  down  and  through  the  oil  rock,  and  had  a  "  good 
show."  Those  who  had  watched  the  undertaking  began  to  expe- 
rience a  change  of  opinion  !  When  subsequently  the  well  was 


474  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM, 

tubed  and  tested,  and  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  of  the  locality, 
they  were  generous  enough  to  applaud  Mr.  KARNS  for  his  perse- 
verance. This  well  continued  to  produce  in  paying  quantities  up 
to  the  spring  of  1871,  but  the  development  had  a  still  more  impor- 
tant significance.  It  settled  the  question  of  oil  deposits  below 
Parker's  Landing,  and  went  far  toward  encouraging  the  develop- 
ment of  the  extensive  oil  fields  soon  after  undertaken  at  Lawrence- 
burg,  and  Bear  Creek,  and  later  at  Petrolia,  Fair  view,  Millerstown, 
Karns  City,  Greece  City,  &c. 

In  the  spring  of  1869,  Mr.  KARNS  secured  four  additional  leases, 
of  limited  boundaries,  upon  the  Fullerton  Parker  Farm,  at  Par- 
ker's Landing,  and  drilled  a  single  well  upon  each,  during  that 
summer.  All  these  wells  were  successful,  averaging  for  many 
months  at  least  20  barrels  each. 

During  the  same  season  he  leased  the  Farran  Farm,  lying  south 
of  Lawrenceburg,  and  containing  fifty  acres.  For  this  lease  he 
paid  a  bonus  of  $2,800,  and  "  one-eighth  of  the  oil."  He  put 
down  during  the  summer  of  1869,  two  wells  upon  this  property, 
one  of  which  produced  eight  barrels  per  day,  and  the  other  one 
barrel  every  twenty-four  hours  !  The  larger  portion  of  this  farm 
he  subsequently  leased  to  other  parties  at  a  quarter  royalty — giving 
him  a  one-eighth  free  interest.  He  has  upon  this  farm  four  pay- 
ing wells  of  his  own,  and  has  one-eighth  royalty  in  six:  or  eight 
others.  This  farm  was  for  a  long  time  very  productive,  paying  to 
all  interested  about  $9,000  per  month. 

Developments  upon  the  Farran  Farm  and  upon  Bear  Creek,  still 
beyond,  and  which  were  prosecuted  during  the  same  year  by  others, 
had  demonstrated  to  Mr.  KARNS  the  existence  of  deposits  still  in 
advance  of  those  already  discovered.  A  thorough  believer  in  the 
"  Belt  Theory,"  he  caused  two  lines  to  be  run — south  and  west, — 
one  of  which  terminated  upon  the  Esquire  Campbell  farm,  and  the 
other  upon  the  Stonehouse  farm,  two  miles  or  more  in  advance  of 
any  operations.  One  of  these  lines  he  denominated  the  "  Middle 
Belt,"  and  the  other  the  "  Western  Belt."  Having  secured  his 


8.    L.    KARNS.  475 

lines,  he  promptly  set  about  the  work  of  obtaining  leases,  He  at 
once  leased  thirty  acres  of  the  Esquire  Campbell  farm,  upon  his 
own  account,  and  in  company  with  Mr.  C.  P.  Badger  of  Parker's 
Landing,  obtained  a  lease  of  the  entire  Stonehouse  farm,  consisting 
of  240  acres.  Both  these  tracts  were  leased  at  an  "Eighth" 
royalty. 

During  the  following  spring  and  summer,  1870,  he  put  down 
one  well  on  the  Campbell  farm,  which  from  the  start  produced 
thirty  barrels  per  day.  Another  well,  drilled  during  the  same 
season  upon  the  Stonehouse  farm,  started  off  at  fifty  barrels  per 
day !  Soon  after  the  Campbell  farm  well  was  struck,  he  sold  the 
lease  and  property  to  Keese,  Perry  &  Co.,  of  Titusville,  for 
$20,000. 

A  one-third  interest  in  the  Stonehouse  farm  lease,  owned  jointly 
by  Mr.  KARNS  and  Mr.  Badger,  was,  after  the  first  well  was  down 
and  producing  fifty  barrels  per  day,  sold  to  Rev.  J.  D.  Norton,  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  at  $30,000.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  1870.  In 
1871,  Mr.  KARNS  purchased  the  one-third  interest  owned  by  Mr. 
Badger,  which  gave  him  two-thirds  of  this  very  productive  prop- 
erty— for  such  it  has  proved  to  be.  In  March,  1873,  there  were 
six  producing  wells  upon  this  farm,  belonging  to  the  original  les- 
sees, netting  two  hundred  and  thirty  barrels  per  day!  Upon  the 
same  farm  are  SEVEN  other  wells,  upon  leases  at  a  "  quarter-roy- 
alty " — one-eighth  free  to  Messrs.  Karns  and  Norton — all  of  which 
are  producing  in  abundance.  The  two  wells  first  mentioned  in  this 
connection,  were  two  good  Pennsylvania  miles  in  advance  of  other 
developments,  when  they  were  struck,  and  remained  "  at  the  front," 
until  the  summer  of  1871. 

In  the  spring  of  1871,  Mr.  KARNS  in  connection  with  Gibson  & 
Brown,  of  Parker's  Landing,  purchased  the  Fronsinger  Farm,  lying 
directly  south  of  the  Esquire  Campbell  Farm,  containing  80  acres. 
The  cost  of  this  farm  was  $22,000.  The  purchasers  leased  it  at 
"  a  quarter-royalty,"  and  it  has  been  pretty  thoroughly  developed, 
and  was  producing  in  March  and  April  last,  over  400  barrels  per 
day ! 


476  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

These  large  interests  occupied  Mr.  KARNS'  time  and  attention 
during  1870-?71,  and  into  1872,  so  entirely  that  he  had  little  in- 
clination to  advance  with  the  advancing  developments  then  and 
since  looming  up  with  such  wonderful  results,  still  beyond  his  own 
field  of  operations.  But  he  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  new  Oil- 
dorado  !  In  the  spring  of  1872,  the  Cooper  Bros,  had  commenced 
a  well  on  the  McClymonds  Farm — two  miles  in  advance  of  other 
operations.  At  the  date  of  Mr.  KARNS'  visit  to  this  well  in  May, 
1872,  the  drill  had  penetrated  about  1,390  feet  without  finding  the 
third  sand,  and  the  Cooper  Bros,  were  well  nigh  disheartened. 
They  believed  their  well  would  prove  a  failure,  and  were  half- 
inclined  to  abandon  it.  Mr.  KARNS,  who  had  watched  the  pro- 
gress of  the  work,  after  a  careful  survey  of  the  country,  and  the 
nearest  developments,  settled  into  the  conviction  that  the  oil-bear- 
ing rock  was  yet  below  the  drill.  He  generously  offered  Cooper 
Bros.  $8,500  for  one-half  their  well  and  lease,  and  they  accepted  ! 
The  condition  of  their  enterprise,  it  is  safe  to  say,  made  them  easy 
victims  to  Mr.  KARNS'  liberal  offer.  Two  days  after  this  purchase 
the  well  was  down  1,400  feet,  and  flowing  through  the  casing  at 
the  rate  of  100  barrels  per  day.  The  product  of  this  well  for  the 
first  ten  months  of  its  life,  foots  up  over  20,000  barrels,  and  thero 
are  little  signs  of  decrease. 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  negotiations  for  this  property,  and  before 
the  well  was  struck,  Mr.  KARNS  purchased  one-quarter,  in  fee,  of 
the  McClymonds  Farm — consisting  of  200  acres — paying  for  it 
$25,000.  Four  months  later  this  farm  was  producing  1,000  barrels 
of  oil  daily,  with  only  a  partial  development ! 

At  the  same  time  Mr.  K.  purchased  a  lease  of  the  Riddle  Farm, 
lying  south  of  the  McClymonds  tract — containing  200  acres — for 
which  he  paid  the  fabulous  sum  of  $40,000 — and  one-eighth  of  the 
oil !  During  the  summer  of  1872,  he  put  down  three  wells  upon 
this  farm — one  of  which  started  off  at  200  barrels,  another  at  100, 
and  the  last,  80  barrels  per  day  ! 

Three  other  wells  upon  this  farm — two  leased  at  one-quarter, 


8.   D.   KARXS.  477 

and  one  at  three-eighths  royalty,  brings  its  daily  production  up  to 
750  barrels.  Eight  leases  at  one-quarter,  and  one  at  three-eighths 
royalty,  are  now  in  process  of  development,  and  when  completed, 
will  doubtless  double  the  product  of  this  farm,  for  it  is  pronounced 
by  experienced  operators  to  be  the  best  oil  territory  yet  developed 
in  the  Parker's  Landing  District.  Very  many  leases  have  been 
disposed  of  upon  this  farm,  and  in  every  instance  save  one,  a  bonus 
of  $1,000  has  been  paid  for  every  jive  acres — in  addition  to  a  roy- 
alty of  one-quarter  of  the  oil ! 

Mr.  Karns  did  not  stop  here.  At  the  date  of  the  above  transac- 
tions, in  conjunction  with  M.  S.  Adams,  of  Lawrenceburg,  a 
lease  was  taken  of  the  John  B.  Campbell  farm,  adjoining  the 
property  before  mentioned,  and  containing  130  acres — at  an  eighth 
royalty.  This  farm  has  since  been  leased  at  a  quarter  royalty,  and 
is  being  rapidly  developed,  and  proves  to  be  very  productive.  At 
this  writing  March,  1873,  there  are  SEVEN  wells  upon  the  farm, 
producing  in  the  aggregate,  800  barrels  a  day !  Among  these 
seven,  are  the  famous  "  Salisbury,"  and  "  Grace  "  wells,  each  aver- 
aging 200  barrels  per  day  ! 

Upon  the  heels  of  all  these  briefly  mentioned  transactions,  Mr. 
K.  purchased  the  Forcht  farm,  containing  100  acres,  and  adjoining 
the  Story  farm.  This  property  he  is  developing  himself,  and 
within  a  few  rods  "  The  Thompson  Well/'  which  has  produced  for 
months  past,  150  barrels  per  day. 

Besides  these,  soon  after  the  "  Jameson  Well,"  near  what  is  now 
known  as  Greece  City,  was  struck.  Mr.  KARNS,  purchased  two 
half  acre  plots  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this  development,  and 
put  down  a  single  well  upon  each,  one  of  which  started  oif  at  120 
barrels,  and  the  other  at  100  barrels.  These  have  been  producing 
without  diminution  for  some  months,  and  promise  to  hold  out  for 
months  to  come.  Three  months'  product  from  these  two  wells  is 
10,000  barrels. 

Karns  City,  is  located  upon  a  branch  of  Bear  Creek,  in  Fair- 
view  Township,  and  is  eligibly  situated  upon  the  Riddle  & 


478  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

McClymonds  farms — lands  owned  and  leased  by  Mr.  KARNS,  and 
contained  in  March,  1873,  a  population  of  quite  2,000  souls,  and 
this  a  growth  of  less  than  six  months.  Before  the  discovery  of 
oil  in  June,  1872,  the  spot  now  covered  with  a  thrifty,  enterpris- 
ing oil  town,  was  devoted  to  agricultural  purposes. 

Upon  the  McClymonds  farm  was  the  old  homestead,  and  a 
dilapidated  saw-mill,  and  all  else  was  the  quiet  of  a  far  removed 
farming  region.  To-day  the  busy  hum  of  industry  is  heard  upon 
every  hand.  Mercantile  establishments  have  multiplied.  Hotels 
have  sprung  up  as  if  by  magic,  and  a  city  of  real  pretensions,  with 
all  the  conveniences,  if  not  the  luxuries,  of  older  settlements,  are 
at  command.  Banks,  Insurance  offices,  telegraph  stations,  Pipe 
Lines,  and  whatever  makes  up  a  "  live  town,"  are  visible,  and  may 
be  enjoyed  by  all  who  visit  Karns  City. 

Upon  the  site  of  Karns  City,  building  leases  have  been  disposed 
of  by  Mr.  K.,  the  income  from  which,  is  already  $2,500  to  $3,000 
annually. 

This  necessarily  brief  and  rapid  resume,  of  Mr.  KARNS'  oil 
operations,  is  sufficient  to  warrant  the  assertion  that  he  is  among 
the  most  prominent,  if  indeed,  he  be  not  the  leading  oil  producer 
of  the  entire  region  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  He  is  the  pos- 
sessor, by  lease,  or  by  purchase,  of  large  tracts  of  the  best  oil  pro- 
ducing lands  yet  developed  in  the  new  territory,  lately  discovered 
in  Butler  County,  and  this  is  as  yet,  only  partially  tested.  How 
much  of  wealth  in  petroleum,  still  courses  beneath  the  surface 
of  his  possessions,  time  must  determine.  It  is  safe  to  anticipate 
for  him,  however,  enough  in  this,  world's  wealth  to  satisfy  all  or- 
dinary demands. 

Mr.  KARNS,  has  not  confined  his  enterprise  to  the  production  of 
petroleum  oil  alone.  His  ample  means  have  been  used  in  various 
ways  for  the  benefit  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow-citizens.  In  the 
fall  of  1868,  he  laid  the  first  pipe  line  from  Parker's  Landing  to 
the  railway,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  This  was  for  the 
convenience  of  only  FOUR  wells,  then  producing  at  that  point — 


s.  D.  KARATS.  479 

two  of  which  he  owned.  Though  not  an  expensive  enterprise,  for  the 
line  was  less  than  half  a  mile  in  length,  yet  he  constructed  it, 
entirely  at  his  own  expense.  Months  after  its  completion  and  suc- 
cessful operation,  and  when  the  production  began  to  increase  suf- 
ficiently to  warrant  it,  Mr.  Fullerton  Parker,  joined  Mr.  K.,  and 
the  facilities  were  largely  increased.  During  the  summer  of  1869, 
Parker,  Thompson  &  Co.,  opened  another  line  as  a  competitor  to 
the  KARNS  &  PARKER  line.  After  a  year  or  more  of  rivalry  and 
competition,  the  two  were  united  under  the  name  of  "  The  Union 
Pipe  Line,"  and  the  conveniences  of  the  line  again,  largely  added 
'to.  In  January,  1872,  Mr.  K.,  sold  his  interest  in  The  Union 
Pipe  Line,"  for  $25,000. 

In  the  fall  of  1871,  "The  Exchange  Bank  of  Parker's  Land- 
ing," was  organized,  with  a  capital  of  $140,000,  of  which  Mr. 
KARNS  is  one-quarter  owner.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  direc- 
tors he  was,  with  entire  unanimity,  elected  its  President,  and 
was  re-elected  at  the  succeeding  annual  meeting  in  1872.  The 
bank  is  organized  under  the  law  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Pennsylvania,  each  stockholder  being  individually  liable. 
"  The  Exchange  Bank  "  has  been  in  existence  less  than  two  years, 
and  it  already  takes  rank  among  the  most  substantial  and  success- 
ful banking  institutions  of  the  Oil  Region.  Among  its  stockhold- 
ers and  Board  of  Directors  are  many  of  the  solid  men  of  the  Parker 
oil  field — men  who  give  character,  credit  and  confidence  to  what- 
ever bears  their  endorsement.  The  following  gentlemen  make  up 
the  present  Board  of  Directors : 

S.  D.  KARNS,  Fullerton  Parker,  Wm.  C.  Mobley,  R.  B.  Allen, 
James  Fowler,  Peter  tlutchison,  Wm.  McKelvy,  Jacob  H.  Walters, 
Capt.  J.  T.  Stockdale. 

"  The  Parker's  Landing  Bridge  Company  "  was  organized  in*  the 
spring  of  1872,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  To  this  important 
local  enterprise  and  great  public  need,  Mr.  KARNS  generously 
subscribed  $55,000.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Company 
he  was  elected  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  a  position 


480  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

he  fills  with  rare  ability,  and  to  the  complete  satisfaction  of  stock- 
holders, directors,  and  the  public,  so  much  convenienced  by  its  con- 
struction. The  bridge  is  a  wrought  iron  structure,  having  four  spans 
of  200  feet  each,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  mechanical 
solidity,  strength  and  beauty  to  be  found  in  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Its  cost  was  a  little  more  than  $100,000.  It  was  manufac- 
tured and  erected  by  "  The  Canton  Iron  Bridge  Company/7  of 
Canton,  Ohio,  and  is  an  imperishable  monument  to  the  skill  and 
superiority  of  American  mechanics.  To  appearances,  it  is  as  solid 
and  immovable  as  the  everlasting  hills  overlooking  it,  from  both 
sides  of  the  river. 

In  1872,  Mr.  K.  purchased  a  farm  of  100  acres,  25  miles 
above  Pittsburgh,  situate  on  the  banks  of  the  Allegany  River,  and 
upon  both  sides  of  the  Allegany  Valley  Railroad.  Upon  this  farm 
he  is  erecting  an  elegant  residence  for  his  own  use,  which,  completed, 
will  cost  him  $35,000.  The  farm  is  located  in  the  bend  of  the  river, 
with  a  beautiful  slope  descending  to  the  water,  and  commands  a 
view  of  the  river  for  miles  above  and  below.  The  residence  when 
ready  for  occupancy  will  be  the  finest  country-seat  west  of  the  Al- 
legany Mountains. 

Mr.  KARNS  is  a  man  of  slight  build,  of  nervous  temperament, 
and  of  prepossessing  appearance.  Easy  in  his  manners,  he  is  al- 
ways self-poised  and  self-possessed.  In  his  intercourse  with  all  he 
is  frank,  manly  and  cordial.  He  could  not  disguise  his  generous 
nature  by  any  effort  he  might  make.  Just  what  he  is  may  be 
learned  by  any  and  all  who  come  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ance and  friendship.  As  a  business  man  he  is  without  blemish. 
His  word  is  his  bond,  and  either  is  good  for  any  amount  he  may 
name.  He  is  a  man  of  inflexible  integrity  and  acknowledged  personal 
worth.  Generosity,  in  its  largest  sense,  is  his  ruling  characteristic. 
Those  who  know  him,  best,  admire  him  most.  He  is  enterprising, 
bold  in  adventure,  and  rapid  in  the  execution  of  whatever  he  may 
undertake.  Conscious  of  his  own  power,  he  is  restive  under  re- 
straint, and  would  sooner  carry  any  enterprise  alone  at  whatever 


S.  D.  KARNS.  481 

cost,  than  be  hampered  by  the  hesitation  of  the  timid,  or  be  held 
in  check  by  the  doubting.  In  all  things  he  is  an  emphatic  man. 
It  is  "  yes,"  or  "  no,"  with  him,  and  as  promptly  as  the  most  im- 
patient could  wish.  In  no  regard  does  he  lack  boldness  of  charac- 
acter,  and  he  has  originality  and  discrimination  largely  developed. 
He  is  a  man  sure  to  be  remarked  and  felt  in  any  assemblage  of 
men.  To  be  comprehensive,  we  may  say  of  him  without  fear  of 
offence  or  contradiction,  that  with  a  goodly  element  of  pride,  he  is 
a  man  of  firmness  amounting  to  combativeness,  and  is  at  all  times 
dignified  and  determined.  To  these  characteristics  may  be  added 
a  tenacity  of  purpose  rarely  excelled,  and  "  a  will  of  his  own,"  of 
which  he  is  seldom  bereft  or  deprived. 

These  have  been  the  foundations  of  his  great  success  in  life,  and 
as  they  are  prominent  elements  in  the  character  of  the  man,  it  is 
easy  to  prophesy  a  successful  future  for  him.  Yet  in  the  prime  of 
life,  blessed  with  good  health,  a  vigorous  constitution,  and  a  mind 
disciplined  to  a  clear  comprehension  of  all  enterprises  commanding 
his  attention,  it  is  surely  his  province  to  leave  upon  the  great  in- 
dustry now  engaging  his  large  means,  a  name  and  fame  at  once 
honorable  and  enduring. 

31 


482  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


C.   D.   ANGELL. 

FOREST  VI LLE,  N.  Y. 

CYBUS  D.  ANGELL  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  Hanover,  Chau- 
tauqua  County,  New  York,  where  he  was  born  on  the  24th  day  of 
April,  1826.  Until  he  attained  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  attended 
the  district  and  select  school  of  his  native  town,  He  had,  how- 
ever, applied  himself  with  so  mnch  industry  to  his  studies  that 
when,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  entered  the  academy  at  Fredonia, 
N.  Y.,  he  was  so  far  advanced  in  the  rudiments  of  an  education, 
that  he  maintained  his  place  among  the  leading  classes  of  that  most 
excellent  institution,  and  from  first  to  last  sustained  an  enviable 
character  for  studiousness  and  application,  as  well  as  rectitude  in 
all  his  intercourse  with  his  superiors  and  fellow-students.  Leaving 
the  Fredonia  Academy,  after  two  years  of  attendance,  he  entered 
the  Genesee  Wesleyan  Seminary,  at  Lima,  N.  Y.,  when,  upon  at- 
taining his  majority,  he  found  himself  qualified  to  "go  out  into  the 
world  and  work  his  own  way  to  success." 

Returning  to  his  home  in  Chautauqua  County,  he  was  soon  after 
selected  by  his  fellow-citizens  for  the  important  position  .of  School 
Commissioner.  This  office  he  held  until  1856,  giving  to  its  ad- 
ministration, abilities  rarely  possessed  by  officials  of  this  character, 
and  yet  indispensable  to  their  success  in  the  delicate  and  responsi- 
ble duties  imposed  upon  them.  Young  ANGELL  comprehended 
this  fully,  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  arduous  task  had  but  one 
ambition — the  elevating  of  the  standard  of  common  schools  in  his 
native  county.  In  this  he  was  abundantly  successful.  Many  of 
the  reforms  he  inaugurated  are  still  continued,  and  the  county  of 
Chautauqua  may  be  said  to  possess  to-day  the  very  best  system  of 
common  schools  to  be  found  in  western  New  York. 


j  i: 


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.'Hi  <•"]  the  1!  ltb  «  u;   of 

a'  j'xtr-ei^  b<    ains.dr 


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r-  •»*.'•        Mi'l  fell-'  ^-st'u 
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'    '!:    !         {-•  .     -t      LJnVl,     N.     Y,, 

;.-  »!;-.;  \\nifr'.  if*)  Ju^fk-u  tt; 

.1    '     ;!'-  ":<i'!..  'V: 

:..     ,15   *  ':>  -HVU.i^'i  I  '  '••'It'TV,    !. 
.-•,-•1'       Ti  r    ili:    i>lt  tli!       - 


r!    .   T!pi7-n     ilt 

"  •  »ut  into  th 

Vn^  SOO?'   illtO 


y  pr-SM'^.-jftl  l>v  ••il'u'iai?  oi'  ihi.-,  ohavach 
»-;'*i:r  saoct.ss  ia   L'«.O  dolic.it  ^  j;mi  roF,j'on? 


r  ?;:.-,-ii'-  >•«..;<:  ,.f     i-    ai'i-n  jr.r-j  cask  'had  but  <  no 

siiis^Oi   U'v  •  -:iiTi<l;  rJ  '-:f  common  sol  ^oJ5  Ir  L  •• 

•  tti>  a-r'  v,v.:r»  Jiliuivla-.  ••)>*  e  accr^rful.     lunny  of 

c^aitv 


.r-Ttrr:  New  York. 


•Woodburvt vpo.  A .  V.  R.  P.  Co.,  Phila. 


C.    D.    ANGELL. 


C.  D.  ANGELL.  485 

number  of  wells  put  down  upon  these  "belts/'  at  least  95  per  cent, 
have  been  successful,  and  many  of  them  of  large  production,  yield- 
ing abundant  profit  to  their  enterprising  owners. 

As  early  as  1868-9,  he  began  seriously  his  investigations  of  his 
belt  theory.  At  this  time  he  had  few  advocates  and  fewer  be- 
lievers. He  sought  by  argument  and  persuasion  to  interest  scores 
of  operators  in  the  development  of  his  property,  but  he  could  find 
none  who  had  "the  faith  of  a  grain  of  mustard  seed"  in  his  "  vi- 
sionary notions,"  as  some  termed  them.  Subsequently,  however, 
Messrs.  Prentice  &  Whitney,  upon  the  upper,  or  "  Foster  belt/' 
and  Messrs.  B.  B.  Campbell,  James  M.  and  John  A.  Lambing, 
upon  the  lower,  or  "  Parker's  belt,"  adopted  the  theory  of  Mr.  Ax- 
GELL,  and  entered  heartily  into  a  practical  demonstration  of  their 
soundness  and  value.  While  the  great  mass  of  oil  producers  "  on 
the  river  "  and  elsewhere  throughout  the  producing  regions  scouted 
the  belief  that  a  continuous  line  of  oil  producing  rock  existed  any- 
where within  the  oil  circuit  of  western  Pennsylvania,  these  gentle- 
men quietly  proceeded  with  their  investigations  and  developments, 
and,  as  the  sequel  shows,  their  efforts  were  crowned  with  an  abun- 
dant financial  as  well  as  scientific  success. 

There  could  be  no  "  chance "  or  "  luck  "  about  these  practical 
developments  upon  Mr.  ANGELL/S  "  belt  theory."  They  were  in- 
deed substantial  demonstrations  of  a  sound  system  of  reasoning  on 
the  part  of  their  enterprising  projector,  and  future  operators  will 
owe  it  to  Mr.  A.,  that  he  has  established  beyond  contradiction  or 
doubt,  that  petroleum  oil  lies  in  courses  of  more  or  less  length  and 
breadth,  and  that  with  proper  efforts  to  discover  these  belts,  the 
business  of  oil  producing  will  be  reduced  to  a  basis  involving 
fewer  risks  than  in  a  crop  of  wheat  or  a  stock  of  merchandise. 
This  subject  of  oil  in  "  belts  "  or  courses,  has  been  so  exhaustively 
discussed  and  so  elaborately  presented  to  the  public  by  the  able 
editor  of  the  Oil  City  Derrick,  C.  E.  BISHOP,  Esq.,  in  a  commu- 
nication to  the  New  York  Tribune,  that  we  deem  proper  to  re-print 
it,  and  have  obtained  permission  of  Mr.  Bishop  to  make  such  use  of  it : 


486  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

To  THE  EDITOR  o?  THE  NEW  YORK  TRIBUNE: 

No  his-tory  of  success  or  failure  in  the  search  for  oil  can  be  utterly 
disinterested ;  and  if  the  sagacious  reader  should  infer  from  the  following 
description  of  facts  that  somebody  has  oil-lands  for  sale,  he  must  also  admit 
that,  even  in  the  face  of  such  a  hypothesis,  the  facts  are  of  too  general  value 
to  be  confined  to  an  interested  few.  The  history  of  oil  developments  in  this 
country  has  been  a  chronicle  of  reckless  risks  and  blind  speculation.  No 
systematic,  intelligent  efforts  have  been  made  to  detect  the  sources  of  petro- 
leum; hence  the  balance  in  dollars  and  cents  is  against  Petroleum  in  its 
account  with  Trade.  Science  has  contributed  little,  almost  nothing,  to  the 
practical  ends  of  the  business.  It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  these  wonder- 
ful manifestations  of  nature's  workings  have  received  so  little  attention  from 
scientists,  compared  with  their  merits  and  their  needs.  Still  more  a  matter 
of  surprise  is  it  that  Trade  has  so  neglected  their  investigation ;  while  it  has 
systematized  the  oil-traffic  above  ground  wonderfully.  The  financial  depart- 
ments of  the  business  are  also  perfectly  organized.  An  oil-broker  can 
actually  handle  and  transfer  a  thousand  barrels  of  oil  as  easily  as  he  could 
a  thousand  dollars  in  money,  depositing  and  checking  against  the  former 
precisely  as  the  latter.  At  Oil  City,  Titusville,  and  other  centers  there  have 
been  organized  Boards  of  Trade,  or  Petroleum  Exchanges,  which  keep  their 
members  and  the  trade  at  large  well  informed  of  all  that  concerns  the 
business  above  ground.  Yet  none  of  these  organizations  have  made  any 
effort  to  collect  information,  analyze"  experiences,  and  make  even  general 
deductions  which  would  offer  the  driller  the  net  results  of  all  experiments, 
and  thus  reduce  the  tremendous  chances  against  his  success.  If  every  driller 
had  kept  such  a  record  as  he  might,  and*concerted  intelligent  efforts  had 
been  made  to  collate  these  records,  the  lines  of  subterranean  wealth  could 
be  traced  on  the  surface  with  a  very  considerable  degree  of  accuracy.  The 
result  would  be  the  saving  of  millions  of  dollars  annually  wasted  in  blind 
probing  for  oil  deposits,  and  the  reduction  of  the  business  to  as  safe  a  basis 
as  in  any  pursuit.  Strange  that  nothing  like  a  Bureau  of  Oil  Mining  exists 
to  this  day ! 

Such  investigation  as  has  been  made  has  been  empirical  in  character. 
The  science  of  oil  development  can  hardly  be  said  to  exist,  though  recent 
indications  show  that  it  is  gestating  vigorously.  The  business  of  oil  devel- 
opment owes  what  progress  it  has  made  to  the  gain-inspired  efforts  of 
practical,  unscientific  men.  The  country  cannot  present  a  body  of  men 
better  fitted  for  practical  achievement  than  the  business  men  of  Oildom. 
Next  to  the  wonderful  natural  phenomena  of  this  region,  the  observing 
spectator  will  be  impressed  with  the  unflaging  enterprise  of  its  men.  They 
highly  personify  that  quickness  of  perception  and  fertility  of  resources  which 
Yankees  sum  up  in  the  word  "cuteness."  The  average  "oil  man"  is  a 
practical  engineer,  a  consummate  financier,  and  a  scientist  by  intuition  and 
experiment.  It  is  this  class  of  men  who  have  made  all  the  discoveries  and 
originated  all  the  theories  of  any  value  yet  announced  as  to  the  origin, 
location,  and  probable  future  of  oil  deposits.  And  they  are  the  ones  who 


C.   D.    ANGELL.  487 

will  have  to  construct  the  new  science  of  oil  mining.  That  such  a  science 
is  possible — nay,  that  its  truth  is  near  at  hand — I  propose  to  show  by 
detailing  the  experiments  of  an  operator. 

Preliminary  to  the  narration,  a  few  well-established  facts  in  oil  phenomena 
should  perhaps  be  laid  before  the  general  reader.     (1.)  Operators  and  scien- 
tists are  pretty  well  agreed  on  the  conclusion  that  oil  exists  both  in  reservoirs 
or  basins  of  considerable  area,  and  in   belts  or  channels  of  considerable 
extent,     Whether  the  two  forms  of  territory  have  any  connection;  the  dis- 
tinctions between  them;   the  continuity  of  the  belts;   these  are  unsettled 
problems.     The  facts  I  am  about  to  relate  may  tend  toward  their  solution. 
The  basins  were  first  discovered,  and,  it  is  probable,  have  been  in  a  large 
measure  exhausted.     It  was  they  that  supplied  the  leviathan  spouting  wells 
of  former  days  (1860-'65).     Such  lakes  were  fopnd  at  Pit  Hole,  Tarr  Farm, 
and  other  points.     (2.)    Present  developments  are  on  extended  lines  that 
constitute  belts  of  oil  territory;  they  indicate  currents,  or  stagnant  channels, 
or  elongated  basins  of  oil.     The  ablest  thought  of  the   petroleum  world 
is  now  turned  toward  discovering  the  location,  direction,  and  extent  of 
these  belts.      (3.)   Because  the  first  oil  was   found  on  the  margin  of  Oil 
Creek,  it  was  supposed  the  subterranean  oil-courses  corresponded  in  some 
degree  with  the  external  water-courses.     Because  of  this  impression,  traces 
of  which  still  exist  in  the  minds  of  oil  men,  and  because  the  streams  offered 
the  best,  sometimes  the  only  means  of  transit  in  this  rough  country,  the 
majority  of  drillers  have  chosen  locations  on  streams.     Nearly  the  entire 
water  front  of  this  section  is  perforated  with  wells.     It  is  safe  to  say  that 
not  one  in  twenty  of  these  wells,  to-day,  by  production,  vindicates  the  theory 
on  which  their  locations  were  selected.     (4.)   The  oil-bearing  rock  is  the 
third  stratum  of  sand-rock  in  order  of  downward  progress.     The  sand- rock 
is  a  conglomerate  of  flinty  pebbles  and  sandstone.     The  pebbles  in  the  thirJ, 
or  oil-bearing  sand-rock,  are  of  varying  degrees  of  hardness  and  whiteness, 
these  variations  always  indicating  unerringly  the  richness  of  the  rock  in  oU 
product.     The  first  triturations  of  the   drill  brought  up  from  the  "  third 
sand"  are  eagerly  scanned  by  the  operator  as  an  index  of  his  success.     A 
handful  of  "third  sand"  is  the  horoscope  of  the  new  well.     Old  drillers  can 
read  the  value  of  a  well  in  these  specimens.     A  good  geologist  might,  I  pre- 
sume, collect  specimens  which  drillers  and  oil  companies  are  now-a-days 
more  in  the  habit  of  preserving  than  formerly,  together  with  the  records 
and  information  drillers  could  give,  and,  by  their  aid,  trace  oil  lines  with 
some  degree  of  certainty. 

This  is  just  what  one  man,  though  not  a  scientist,  did  accomplish.  This 
brings  us  to  our  story,  to  comprehend  which  the  reader  will  need  to  bear  in 
mind  the  general  facts  above  given.  About  three  years  ago  Mr.  Cyrus  D. 
Angell  of  Forestville,  N.  Y.,  embarked  on  the  petroleum  sea.  He  enjoyed 
a  large  degree  of  luck — for  it  was  that  more  than  any  thing  else  that  gave  his 
first  ventures  success.  He  soon  commenced  studying  the  problem  that  agi- 
tates all  shrewd  "  greasers,"  viz.,  the  location  of  the  oil  belt.  He  began  to 
collect  data  bearing  on  this  problem,  and  to  study  them  by  day  and  night. 
He  conceived  and  assumed  as  real  this  postulate:  Exactly  corresponding 


488  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

geological  data,  or  two  or  more  points  of  oil  development,  are  proof  of  a 
continuous  belt  between  those  points.  Or,  conversely,  an  oil  belt  will 
manifest  the  same  characteristics  everywhere.  Taking  a  series  of  facts 
regarding  paying  wells  in  one  locality,  he  imagined  that,  if  he  could  find 
exactly  the  same  series  of  facts  manifest  in  another  paying  locality,  he  would 
have  two  bearings  on  the  same  oil  belt ;  and  at  any  place  between  these  two 
points  he  could  be  certain  of  the  same  practical  results  as  had  followed 
drilling  at  the  extremes,  viz.,  oil  in  paying  quantities. 

The  data  for  which  he  must  find  duplicates  were  these:  (1.)  The  depth 
from  the  surface  to  the  different  sand  rocks.     (2.)  Distance  between  the 
upper  surfaces  of  the  different  sand- rocks.     (3.)  Thickness  of  the  sand-rocks. 
(4.)  Quantity  and  quality  of  the  oil  indications  (called  "shows,")  found  in 
the  second  sand.     (5.)Color  and  gravity  of  the  oil  produced  by  the  third  sand. 
(6.)  Texture  and  temper  of  the  third  sand.    I  have  named  these  indications 
in  the  order  of  their  importance  as  a  basis  of  general  opinion  as  to  territory 
— of  course  he  would  look  first  and  most  anxiously  for  those  last  named,  but 
as  these  are  all  fixed  scientific  data,  it  is  probable  that,  for  purposes  of  com- 
paring different  wells,  all  are  equally  important  and  decisive.     It  will  be 
noticed  that  none  of  these  points  of  inquiry  relate  to  the  more  superficial  and 
demonstrative  manifestations ;  they  are  mainly  geological,  permanent  facts. 
Mr.  Angell  started  with  the  data  pertaining  to  his  own  wells   on  Belle 
Island — a  little  strip  of  land  in  the  Allegany  Eiver  just  below  Scrubgrass 
Station,  on  the  Allegany  Valley  Railway,  and  about  25  miles,  by  the  river, 
below  Oil  City.     On  this  island,  and  also  on  the  river  bank  above  (north  of) 
it,  was  a  small  but  rich  oil  field ;  two  thick  clusters  of  wells  here  had  for 
some  years  been  producing.     Making  himself  master  of  the  whole  subterra- 
nean history  of  this  development,  as  told  by  the  log-books  of  the  drillers, 
the  specimens  of  sand  and  other  rocks,  and  his  own  observation  while  making 
wells  on  Belle  Island,  he  turned  his  steps  to  other  developed  territory  in 
search  of  duplicate  "picture  in  the  rocks."     Proceeding  up  the  river,  the 
most  producing  territory  he  found  was  at  Foster  Station,  nine  miles,  by  river 
from  Belle  Island.     Here,  on  a  little  area  of  about  25  acres,  rich  wells  have 
been  for  some  years  pumping,  and  probably  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  oil 
have  been  taken  out.    At  Foster  he  heard  a  driller's  tale  that  was  an  echo 
to  the  one  he  had  learned  at  Scrubgrass.   The  depth  of  drill  at  the  first  sand, 
the  texture  and  color  of  the  third  sand,  the  color  and  gravity  of  the  oil,  and 
the  other  data,  were  remarkably  identical  at  these  two  points,  five  miles 
apart  by  air  line.     More  than  this,  Mr.  Angell  was  struck  with  the  fact  that 
tliis  similarity  of  order,  composition  and  thickness,  was  not  confined  to  the 
sand-rocks,  but  marked  also  the  intervening  and  overlying  strata.   The  wells 
at  both  points  were  in  all  respects  fac-similes  each  of  the  other. 

As  another  evidence,  Mr.  A.  computed  the  depth  of  drill  at  the  two  points 
to  the  upper  surface  of  the  third  sand.  Measuring  at  the  surface  of  the 
river,  and  deducting  atToster  for  the  natural  descent  of  the  river  between 
the  two  points,  he  discovered  that  the  upper  surface  of  the  third  sand  is  on 
a  dead  water  level  at  the  two  points.  On  his  postulate  that  similarity  of 
rocks  indicated  identity  of  belt,  he  now  had  two  known  quantities  of  his 


C.   D.   ANGELL..  489 

problem.  Its  solution  was  still  a  delicate  operation.  He  knew  the  belt 
must  be  a  narrow  one,  because  at  the  points  where  the  river  crossed  it 
(Scrubgrass  and  Foster)  the  territory  had  been  by  actual  development  shown 
to  be  small ;  the  derricks  at  these  points  are  huddled  as  closely  together  as 
the  necessary  operations  will  admit.  On  so  narrow  a  belt  it  would  be  easy 
to  lose  the  trail ;  an  error  of  one  degree  in  the  compass  would  lead  olf  the 
belt  in  a  few  rods  of  progress. 

Mr.  A.  now  employed  a  civil  engineer,  and  for  many  months  was  engaged 
in  running  numerous  lines  between  Scrubgrass  and  Foster.  Without  detail- 
ing all  the  laborious  process  and  study  by  which  he  fixed  the  line,  suffice  it 
to  say  that  he  finally  settled  on  a  line  which  passed  midway  between  the 
extremes  of  development  at  the  two  points  (Scrubgrass  and  Foster).  In  the 
course  of  his  research,  Mr.  A.  developed  another  collateral  theory,  which 
materially  aided  him,  and  if  it  holds  good  on  all  belts  is  very  important. 
That  is :  As  you  digress  from  the  central  line  of  a  belt,  either  way,  the  third 
sand  grows  thinner  and  the  supply  of  oil  less,  both  finally  running  out  when 
the  limits  of  the  belt  laterally  have  been  reached ;  the  nearer  the  central 
line  the  better  the  territory.  This  shelving  of  the  rock  is  from  beneath,  the 
upper  surface  of  the  third  sand  being  level.  This  theory  was  demonstrated 
by  the  record  of  the  wells  on  the  belt.  He  found  that  running  his  line  mid- 
way between  the  extremes  of  the  development  it  traversed  the  derricks  of  the 
best  wells  struck.  He  was  further  confirmed  in  this  idea  by  the  fact  that 
his  central  line  between  Scrubgrass  and  Foster  passed  at  one  side  the  cele- 
brated Burning  Well,  on  a  bend  of  the  river.  This  well,  several  years  ago, 
struck  an  immense  gas  vein ;  the  tools  stuck  in  the  well,  the  gas  took  fire, 
and  for  seven  years  was  not  extinguished.  The  owners  abandoned  it.  Its 
location  on  the  edge  of  what  he  supposed  to  be  the  best  width,  its  failure  to 
produce  oil  in  paying  qualities  was  encouraging. 

Having  now  found  the  axis  of  the  belt,  it  was  easy  to  determine  its  direc- 
tion— the  most  important  point  of  all.  The  compass  indicated  the  belt  to  lie 
north-east.  To  confirm  all  his  tests,  and  "  make  assurance  doubly  sure,"  he 
now  projected  his  central  line  on  north  16  degrees  east  beyond  Foster  and 
across  the  mountains  until  he  again  crossed  the  tortuous  Allegany,  four 
miles  from  Foster.  There  was  a  development  on  Porter  Island,  it  being  the 
next  development  above  Foster ;  all  "  dry  holes  "  between  these  and  Foster. 
The  line  left  this  island  several  rods  at  one  side,  and  it  is  poor  paying  ter- 
ritory. This  fact,  and  the  exact  similarity  of  its  data  with  those  collected 
below  were  good  confirmation  of  the  two  theories  mentioned.  Continuing 
his  line  over  the  mountains  five  miles  further,  he  again  debouched  on  the 
river  at  Reno  (two  miles  below  Oil  City).  Here,  to  his  surprise  and  satis- 
faction, his  lines  crossed  the  best  wells  on  that  territory,  and  the  "testimony 
of  the  rocks  "  was  identical  with  that  of  Scrubgrass,  Foster,  and  Porter  Is- 
land. Following  his  now  sure  line,  he  found  himself  walking  through  the 
heart  of  the  rich  oil  fields  of  Charley  Run,  Wood  Farm,  and  Petroleum 
Center.  Thus  he  had  traced  his  belt  for  twenty  miles  across  the  country, 
crossing  the  Allegany  five  times,  traversing  every  paying  development  on 
that  river,  and  landing  in  the  centre  of  the  greatest  oil  basin  in  the  world. 
He  was  content,  and  kept  his  own  counsel. 


490  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

Mr.  ANGELL  had  now  spent  a  year  and  a-half  of  time  and  several  thousand 
dollars  in  developing  his  theory.  He  could  see  the  strip  of  oil  rock  1,000 
feet  beneath  him  as  satisfactorily  to  himself  as  if  all  the  overlaying  strata 
had  been  stripped  off  and  the  third  sand  laid  bare  to  his  fleshly  optics.  He 
proceeded  at  leisure  to  gather  the  fruits  of  his  labor  and  genius — for  it  was 
scarcely  less  than  genius  that  guided  him.  I  say  "at  his  leisure,"  for  no 
other  operator  suspected  his  great  discovery.  After  considerable  shrewd 
negotiation  he  managed  to  secure  from  every  property  owner  on  the  belt 
between  Scrubgrass  and  Foster,  a  lease  on  liberal  terms  to  them  as  to  roy- 
alty, &c.,  but  including  an  option  clause  for  the  purchase  of  the  land,  in  fee, 
at  any  time  within  a  year  at  a  stated  price.  He  made  similar  contracts  for 
several  hundred  acres  on  the  belt  north  of  Foster,  also.  Before  long  he,  of 
course,  took  his  option,  and  in  a  short  time  owned  all  the  territory  between 
Scrubgrass  and  Foster.  This  was  all  he  could  pay  for  and  manage,  and  the 
rest  of  the  leases  were  sufftred  to  lapse.  He  had  now  invested  $60,000  on 
faith  in  his  new  theory. 

The  first  well  was  bored  one  and-a-half  miles  back  from  the  river,  and 
from  all  previous  development.  It  found  the  third-sand  rock  and  oil  at  the 
depth  of  1,110  feet,  and  yielded  71  barrels,  and  is  still  producing  at  that  rate. 
The  rest  of  the  grand  achievement  is  soon  told.  .Mr.  ANGELL,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  partner,  Mr.  Prentice  (a  veteran  "greaser.")  has  on  his  terri- 
tory at  present  16  producing  wells,  ranging  in  yield  from  12  to  400  barrels. 
The  last  strike,  made  three  days  since,  is  "  a  spouter."  It  threw  oil  150  feet 
high,  took  fire,  and  burned  up  everything  destructible  around  it.  When 
brought  under  control,  it  recorded  400  barrels  per  day.  There  has  been  but 
a  single  failure  to  strike  oil  in  paying  quantities  by  them,  and  that  was  an 
experimental  well  to  test  the  width  of  the  belt.  Every  acre  of  land  could  be 
leased  by  ANGELL  &  PRENTICE  to  other  parties  for  $1,000  to  $5,000  bonus 
and  one-half  royalty,  the  usual  royalty  being  from  a  sixteenth  to  a  quarter. 
They,  however,  grant  no  leases ;  they  run  no  risks  in  sinking  wells.  They 
are  now  putting  down  16  more  wells  for  themselves,  with  a  certainty  of  re- 
sults which  they  would  not  give  any  one  a  dollar  to  insure.  Mr.  ANGELL 
can  now  set  his  foot  down  on  the  spot  that  will  yield  oil  "to  a  dead  cer- 
tainty." Nay,  he  can  tell  within  a  few  barrels  what  a  well  will  do  in  any 
spot  on  the  belt,  proportioned  to  its  nearness  to  the  central  line.  Looking 
across  this  city  of  derricks,  they  "  line  "  almost  like  a  row  of  shade-trees, 
and  mark  to  the  spectator's  eye  the  limits  of  the  belt  with  wonderful  distinct- 
ness, though  not  any  more  clearly  than  Mr.  ANGELL  saw  them  by  his  clair- 
voyant perception  before  a  blow  had  been  struck,  or  a  "  Sampson  post  "  set  on 
this  spot. 

The  belt  is  less  than  thirty  rods  wide  ;  the  profitable  part  of  it  not  half 
that  width.  It  can  be  seen,  therefore,  how  easy  it  is,  or  was,  for  a  man  to 
mi;<s  it  while  prospecting  all  oildom  for  a  place  to  "  set  in  " — or,  in  petroleum 
phrase,  "  wild-catting."  His  chances  were  about  as  15  square  rods  are  to 
the  whole  area  of  oil  country. 

Of  course,  the  triumph  of  this  new  development  created  a  furore.  This 
soon  spent  itself.  The  fever  had  nothing  to  work  on.  The  discoverer  owned 


C.    D.    ANGELL.  491 

all  the  territory,  and  none  was  "  for  sale  or  to  let."  Considerable  fishing  for 
the  belt  further  north  (between  Foster  and  Eeno)  was  done.  One  of  these 
"wild-cat  "  parties  blundered  upon  a  blaze  upon  a  tree,  and,  assuming  that 
it  was  ANGELL'S  center  line,  took  a  lease  and  sunk  a  well.  They  were  upon 
one  of  his  experimental  lines  and  not  on  the  center  ;  hence,  they  found  only 
a  thin  third-sand  and  a  small  yield — three  barrels.  They  abandoned  this 
well  and  moved  40  rods  further  south,  which  direction,  being  at  an  acute 
angle  with  ANGELL'S  line  (S,  16°  W.),  brought  them  within  12  feet  of  the 
center  of  his  belt.  There,  on  the  28th  of  March,  they  struck  a  100  barrel 
well,  which  has  as  yet  shown  no  falling  off  from  that  figure.  This  is  called 
the  Milton  Well,  and  is  two  miles  from  Eeno.  A  new  oil  town  has  since 
grown  up  at  this  point.  With  a  satirical  humor  for  which  the  nomenclature 
of  Oildom  is  noted,  it  is  called  "  Driftwood  " — it  is  400  feet  above  high 
water  on  the  Allegany  1  The  traffic  growing  up  in  consequence  of  the  de- 
velopment of  this  portion  of  the  belt  open  to  operators  has  caused  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  station  on  the  Allegany  Valley  Eailway,  called  Prentice, 
after  Mr.  ANGELI/S  partner.  It  is  five  miles  from  Oil  City. 

It  would  seem  that  Mr.  AISTGELL'S  successful  research  tends  to  establish 
the  following  principles  in  oil  development:  (1.)  That  oil  lies  in  belts  of 
more  or  less  unbroken  continuity;  the  latter  feature  having  to  be  established 
by  tests  in  each  case,  and  constituting  one  of  the  unavoidable  contingencies 
of  belt  development.  (2.)  That  the  general  direction  of  ihese  belts  is  N.  E. 
and  S.  W.  (3.)  That  different  belts  may  and  probably  will  differ  in  char- 
acteristics from  each  other;  but  the  same  belt  is  uniform  in  its  leading 
physical  features  throughout.  (4.)  That  these  belts  do  not  deviate  from  a 
direct  line ;  at  least  it  is  not  safe  to  count  on  deflections  or  crooks  in  making 
investments.  (5.)  That  the  under  surface  of  the  third-sand  rock  slopes  up- 
ward each  way  from  its  center,  and  therefore  the  value  of  a  well  will  depend 
upon  its  nearness  to  the  central  line  of  the  belt.  (6.)  That  the  upper  surface 
of  the  third  sand  rock  is  absolutely  level  throughout  the  belt.  Mountains 
are  superadded  to  it.  Therefore  there  can  be  no  current  of  oil  in  the  belt, 
as  some  have  supposed  might  be  the  case.  (7.)  That  superficial  water- 
courses have  no  relation  to  the  oil  courses  or  belts.  Therefore  territory  on  a 
river  is  worth  no  more  than  that  on  a  mountain  top,  other  things  being 
equal,  except  that  the  drill  starts  a  little  nearer  the  third  sand.  (8.)  That 
it  is  possible  to  detect  an  oil  belt  and  stake  it  out  on  the  surface  with  a  de- 
gree of  accuracy  sufficient  for  safe  business  investments?  (9.)  That  when 
proper  efforts  shall  be  made  to  discover  these  belts,  the  whole  business  of  oil 
production  (so  called)  will  be  reduced  to  a  basis  in  which  there  will  be  fewer 
risks  than  in  a  crop  of  wheat,  a  sea  voyage  or  a  stock  of  goods.  (Some  of 
these  principles  are  well  sustained  by  the  experience  of  operators  generally.) 

Mr.  ANGELL'S  success  must  result — indeed  it  has  already  resulted — in 
turning  the  thoughts  of  practical  men  to  the  study  of  the  theory  of  oil  belts. 
This  may  end  in  the  establishment  of  the  whole  business  on  just  such  a  sure 
basis  as  I  have  indicated.  This  would  make  a  saving  of  millions  of  dollars 
annually  to  the  producing  interest,  and  inure  to  the  direct  benefit  of  millions 
of  consumers  of  kerosene.  It  is.  certain  that  with  the  risks  and  expenses 


492         '  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

hitherto  attached  to  oil  production,  prices  cannot  remain  where  they  are. 
Therefore,  all  who  use  petroleum  oil  are  concerned  to  have  the  risks  and 
expenses  reduced.  In  case  the  results  named  flow  from  Mr.  ANGELL'S 
research,  he  will,  while  securing  a  princely  fortune  to  himself,  have  become 
a  benefactor  to  his  fellows.  I  believe,  as  does  every  practical  man  who  has 
learned  of  Mr.  ANGELL'S  achievements,  that  it  and  the  theory  on  which  it 
was  based  are  destined  to  mark  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  petroleum.  It  is 
certain,  whatever  the  results,  that  both  the  nature  and  manner  of  his  dis- 
covery of  the  great  oil  belt  stamp  him  as  a  remarkable  man — at  least  as  re- 
markable among  oil  men,  and  that  means  much  to  any  one  who  knowa  the 
class.  ************* 

Already  the  minds  of  considerate  oil  men  are  reaching  out  to  solve  the 
question  whether  the  oil  manifestations  of  this  continent  have  a  common 
origin ;  whether  there  is  not  a  connecting  belt  running  from  West  Virginia 
to  Canada. 

JAMESTOWN,  N.  Y.,  May  26th,  1871. 


Of  Mr.  ASTGELL'S  record  as  a  producer,  very  little  has  been  said 
in  this  brief  sketch  of  his  connection  with  the  oil  region  of  western 
Pennsylvania.  That  he  is  among  the  leading  and  prominent  ope- 
rators of  the  region,  we  need  not  affirm.  His  enterprise  and  his 
unflagging  industry  are  known  of  all  men.  His  developments  at 
Scrub  Grass  and  on  the  Foster  and  Scrub  Grass  belts,  won  for  him 
a  notoriety  he  may  well  be  proud  of.  His  late  operations  in  the 
lower  oil  fields  at  Fairview,  Greece  City,  and  upon  the  Moore  and 
Hepler  farms,  territory  he  leased  in  the  early  months  of  the  pre- 
sent year,  fix  his  status  as  one  of  the  successful  as  well  as  one  of  the 
most  indefatigable  operators  in  that  section.  He  is  now — midsum- 
mer '73 — in  the  daily  receipt  of  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  bar- 
rels of  oil  per  day,  and  this  product,  it  is  fair  to  assume,  will  be 
largely  increased  as  his  developments  proceed. 

In  his  native  county,  Mr.  ANGELL  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all 
classes  of  his  fellow-citizens,  not  alone  for  the  possession,  but  for 
the  daily  practice  of  those  manly  virtues  which  are  the  crowning 
glory  of  all  good  men.  In  no  sense  an  office-seeker,  he  has  not 
escaped  the  observation,  nor  been  freed  from  the  importunities  of 
his  political  friends  to  permit  the  use  of  his  name  for  responsible 
trusts.  In  the  canvass  of  1871,  he  was  named  by  a  large  body  of 


C.    D.    ANGELL.  493 

his  fellow-citizens  for  the  office  of  State  Senator  from  his  senatorial 
district,  partly  as  a  compromise  candidate,  between  the  rival  fac- 
tions, but  generally  because  he  was  regarded,  upon  all  hands,  as 
the  most  unexceptionable  man  for  the  distinguished  position.  He 
was,  however,  not  nominated,  "the  factions"  warring  to  the  bitter 
end — but  we  doubt  not  we  reflect  the  sentiments  of  a  very  large 
majority  of  the  partizans  of  each  of  these  belligerents,  when  we  say 
that  the  PEOPLE  and  not  Mr.  ANGELL,  were  immeasurably  the 
losers  by  his  absence  from  the  Senate  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

The  writer  of  this  brief  sketch  of  CYRUS  D.  ANGELL  has  known 
him  personally  for  many  years,  and  in  common  with  a  wide  circle 
of  friends,  and  an  extended  public  acquaintance,  recognizes  him  as 
a  gentleman  of  pure  motives,  and  clear,  conscientious  impulses.  As 
a  man  of  business  he  is  sagacious,  energetic,  and  reliable.  If  em- 
barrassments come  upon  him  he  will  double  and  quadruple  his 
efforts  to  surmount  them.  He  has  intelligence  of  a  high  order, 
coupled  with  an  integrity  of  character,  stainless  and  blameless  be- 
fore the  world.  In  his  intercourse  with  men  of  whatever  station 
in  life,  he  is  always  truthful  and  irreproachable.  He  is  dignified, 
and  yet  a  man  of  marked  sociability  and  cordiality.  Modest  in 
his  demeanor,  he  has  always  about  him  the  demeanor  of  the  true 
gentleman,  and  from  this  standard  never  lowers  himself.  Where  he 
is  best  known  he  is  most  appreciated  as  a  man,  a  neighbor  and  a 
public-spirited  citizen.  He  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  the  very 
heyday  of  his  vigor  and  usefulness.  With  health  guaranteed  to 
him,  that  indomitable  perseverance  that  has  characterized  him 
through  life,  will  be  sure  to  carve  out  for  him  a  name  and  a  place 
among  the  noted  men  of  the  oil  regions  at  once  distinguished  and 
enviable. 


494  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


A.   D.    ATKINSON. 

NEW  BRUNSWICK,   N.  J. 

ASHER  D.  ATKINSON  is  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  born  in  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  30th  day  of  September,  1821.  When 
he  was  seven  years  of  age  his  father  removed  to  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  he  engaged  in  the  retail  drug  and  medicine  business. 
Here  young  ATKINSON  grew  up  and  was  educated.  While  from 
early  childhood  he  had  more  or  less  to  do  with  the  drug  store  his 
father  conducted,  it  was  not  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old  that  he 
entered  the  establishment  as  a  clerk,  and  gave  his  undivided  attention 
to  it.  From  his  earliest  remembrances,  he  was  called  "  Doctor/' 
but  he  did  not  entitle  himself  to  the  distinction — even  if  he  did  then 
— until  after  he  reached  his  majority.  He  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  continued  some  months  after 
he  was  twenty-one — but  he  did  not  complete  his  preliminary  pre- 
parations. It  is  questionable,  therefore,  if  he  be,  even  now,  enti- 
tled to  the  affix  of  «M.  D."  to  his  name,  for  he  abandoned  all 
idea  of  adopting  medicine  as  a  profession  soon  after  attaining  his 
majority,  from  an  early  and  later  cherished  aversion  to  it.  He 
acquired,  however,  a  commendable  proficiency  in  surgery,  and  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  anatomy,  ere  he  gave  up  his  studies,  and 
these  have  been  serviceable  to  him  upon  many  occasions,  but  he 
has  never  practiced  medicine  outside  his  own  family  circle. 

He  continued  his  connection  with  the  drug  and  medicine  traffic, 
in  conjunction  with  his  father,  until  1861,  when  he  surrendered  it 
to  enter  into  the  just-then  developing  petroleum  enterprises  of  the 
Western  Pennsylvania  oil  region. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  Dr.  ATKINSON  visited  Titusville  for  the 
first  time.  His  father-in-law,  Mr.  John  Barnsdall,  had  preceded 


494 


HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 


to  :&;  •  .•=•;•  < 
ifcki 


;    ;la:£  and  •   e-iir''.':  traftk. 
,  ^!,'-.   h«>  5iir  "jilcrrd  it 
•r  i>.-..  v!«:i.m  .vuter^ii^Sb  M'  1  ;-.' 


u.ih*:r-:u-l.i  •',  Mr,  •Ti»!ui  B-M^dti!)    i>i>i; 


Wooilbury  t>  pp.    A.  V.  R.  P.  Co.,  Phil 


ASHER    D.    ATKINSON. 


A.   D.   ATKINSON.  497 

man  netted  her  owners  between  $57,000  and  $58,000.  While  her 
producing  life  held  out,  oil  was  sold  from  her  great  wooden  tanks 
as  low  as  fifteen  cents  per  barrel,  and  as  high  as  eleven  dollars  per 
barrel ! 

During  the  same  summer,  (1862,)  and  upon  the  same  farm,  the 
"  Barnsdall  Well "  was  struck,  and  flowed  100  barrels  per  day. 
Barnsdall  &  Atkinson  owned  one-third  of  the  land  interest  of  this 
well,  and  all  the  working  interest.  Having  thus  begun  in  1862, 
the  development  of  their  own  leases,  they  followed  it  up,  and  in 
1863,  they  completed  a  well  on  the  Fleming  farm,  adjoining  the 
Miller  farm,  on  the  north  and  west.  This  well  flowed  from  the 
commencement,  300  barrels  per  day.  On  the  very  day  the  Flem- 
ing farm  well  was  struck,  Dr.  ATKINSON  completed  a  fifty  barrel 
pumping  well,  on  the  bluff,  in  the  rear  of  the  Sherman  Well.  Both 
these  wells,  we  may  add,  were  struck,  and  in  operation  the  day 
previous  to  the  striking  of  the  famous  "  Noble  Well,"  on  the  ad- 
joining farm. 

During  the  summer  of  1862,  Mr.  Barnsdall,  for  the  firm, 
contracted  to  deliver  at  their  wells,  over  50,000  barrels  of  oil, 
at  prices  ranging  between  thirty-five  and  sixty  cents  per  barrel. 
While  this  contract  was  in  force,  and  only  about  two-thirds  of  the 
oil  had  been  delivered,  Mr.  Barnsdall  died,  and  Dr.  ATKINSON, 
though  not  legally  bound  to  do  so,  fulfilled  the  agreement  to  the 
letter — delivering  the  oil  at  "the  Sherman,"  "the  Barnsdall"  and 
Atkinson  wells,  and  this,  too,  when  $4  and  $6  per  barrel  could 
have  been  realized  for  it !  But  the  great  loss  sustained  by  this 
single  transaction  was  subsequently  fully  atoned  for.  The  money 
realized  from  this  sale  of  oil,  was  re-invested  in  lands  in  the  vicinity, 
and  from  their  later  development,  Dr.  ATKINSON  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  present  ample  fortune. 

In  1864,  Dr.  A.  purchased  the  John  Fleming  Farm,  located  on 
the  high  lands,  in  the  Shamburg  district — two  or  three  miles  north 
and  east  of  Miller  farm  station.  For  this  property  he  paid  $20,000. 

"A  refusal,"  for  the  purchase  of  this  farm  had  been  obtained  by 
32 


498  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

Dr.  Potter,  of  Tidioute,  at  § 5,000.  Dr.  ATKINSON  expected  to 
buy  it  for  that  sum,  but  upon  "interviewing"  Dr.  Potter,  he 
learned  his  error,  and  thereupon  offered  him  $20,000  for  his 
chance  to  purchase — a  clear  profit  of  $15,000  !  This  generous 
offer,  for  such  it  was  at  that  time,  the  territory  being  three  miles 
from  "  the  Creek,"  and  as  far  from  any  developments,  was  accepted, 
the  whole  amount  paid  down,  upon  the  execution  of  the  deed  from 
Fleming,  and  the  title  to  it  passed  to  Dr.  ATKINSON.  We  may  add 
here,  that  the  Doctor  still  owns  and  operates  this  farm,  and  that 
its  product,  though  limited,  yields  a  goodly  monthly  income. 

From  and  after  the  purchase  of  this  property,  in  1864,  Dr.  AT- 
KINSON, to  a  considerable  extent,  withdrew  from  the  oil  business, 
removing  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  with  his  family,  and  taking  up  his 
residence  there — though  occasionally  returning  to  "the  Creek"  to 
look  after  his  yet  profitable  oil  interests. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1867,  Dr.  ATKINSON  began  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Fleming,  or  Atkinson  farm — although  a  derrick  and 
engine-house,  boiler  and  engine,  had  been  put  upon  the  property  in 
1865.  In  July,  1867,  however,  the  first  well  was  completed  and 
operated, — and  we  may  add,  demonstrated  the  value  of  the  farm 
for  oil  purposes.  This  first  well — a  pumping  one — produced 
seventy  barrels  per  day.  In  December  following,  on  Christmas 
day,  the  second  well  was  completed,  and  this  was  a  "flower" 
of  four  hundred  barrels  per  day!  About  the  1st  of  January, 
following,  the  third  well  was  struck,  and  this  "New  Year's  gift" 
flowed  from  the  start  three  hundred  barrels  per  day! 

During  the  summer  of  1868,  developments  were  continued  with- 
out interruption,  and  with  uniform  success.  "The  Atkinson  farm," 
became  famous  for  its  productive  wells,  and  it  was  rapidly  devel- 
oped during  1868,-69,  and  '70.  About  thirty  wells  in  all  were 
drilled  upon  the  farm,  averaging  in  depth,  952  feet,  and  all  or 
nearly  all  were  profitable  oil  producers — many  of  them  largely  so. 
During  the  summer  of  1868,  a  well  was  struck  upon  the  farm 
which  had  this  peculiarity.  The  first  FOUR  days  she  flowed  eleven 


A.  D.  ATKINSON. 

hundred  barrels  of  oil,  each  day — making  FORTY-FOUR  hundred 
barrels  during  her  flowing  life.  Ever  after,  the  well  was  known, 
as  "4.  11.44!" 

The  purchase  and  development  of  this  farm  was  a  source  of 
great  profit  to  Dr.  ATKINSON.  During  the  years  1868,  and  '69, 
the  average  daily  product  of  the  "  Atkinson  farm"  was  fully  2,500 
barrels  per  day.  Oil  sold  readily  for  from  $2.50  to  $6.50  per  bar- 
rel during  these  years — making  the  average  price  during  the  pro- 
ducing life  of  the  property  $3.50  to  $4.00  per  barrel.  Dr.  AT- 
KINSON owned  the  farm,  and  paid  no  "royalty  to  the  land" — and 
while  he  had  much  of  it  leased  to,  and  developed  by  others,  an 
average  of  one-half  the  oil  produced  from  all  sources,  was  turned 
over  to  him.  We  have  no  correct  statement  of  the  total  product 
of  oil  from  this  prolific  farm,  but  the  amount  realized  IN  CASH, 
to  all  interests,  exceeds  $1,600,000! 

A.  H.  CHENEY — and  who  among  the  early  operators  "  on  the 
Creek,"  from  Titusville  to  Oil  City,  does  not  remember  rollicking, 
always  happy  "  Lon.  Cheney  " — and  JAMES  MOORE  were  the  first 
Superintendents  of  the  Atkinson  farm,  to  whom  Dr.  A.  gave,  "out 
and  out,"  various  interests  from  which  each  realized  largely.  Both 
are  since  deceased,  and  both  left  considerable  means  to  surviving 
relatives.  F.  E.  Hammond  is  the  present  Superintendent — a  posi- 
tion he  has  held  since  1869. 

We  have  stated,  that  soon  after  the  purchase  of  the  Atkinson 
farm  in  1864,  Dr.  ATKINSON  suspended  further  operations  until 
1867.  He  removed  with  his  family  from  Titusville,  to  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  in  1865,  and  soon  after  engaged  in  real  estate  operations 
there.  Among  his  purchases,  was  one  hundred  acres  of  land 
located  at  various  points  surrounding  the  City  of  Brooklyn.  This 
investment  was  made  for  his  children,  and  this  he  will  retain  for 
their  sole  benefit. 

In  1868,  Dr.  ATKINSON  purchased  a  summer  residence  at  New 
Brunswick,  N.  J.,  and  here  free  from  the  turmoil  of  a  great  city, 
his  summers  have  since  been  passed.  This  purchase  included  a 


500  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

tract  of  land  lying  within  the  city  limits,  and  containing  ninety- 
four  acres  of  land.  For  this  property,  he  paid  $25,000.  Subse- 
quently, in  1869,  or  1870,  he  disposed  of  all  but  TEN  acres  of  this 
tract  of  land,  realizing  from  the  sale,  sufficient  to  pay  the  original 
cost — $25,000 — and,  at  the  same  time,  provide  for  the  erection  and 
completion  of  one  of  the  finest  private  residences  in  the  City  of 
New  Brunswick,  or  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  in  which  the 
city  is  situated.  We  may  add,  that  this  elegant  residence  has  cost 
him  not  far  from  $50,000 — nearly  all  of  which,  with  the  ten  acres 
reserved  from  the  original  purchase,  may  be  set  down  as  clear  pro- 
fit !  Since  the  completion  of  his  residence,  he  has  become  a  per- 
manent resident  of  New  Brunswick. 

Dr.  ATKINSON,  while  he  retains  his  interests  in  the  Oil  Region, 
may  yet  be  regarded  as  practically  withdrawn  from  active  partici- 
pation in  the  later  developments.  He,  however,  makes  annual 
visits  to  his  old  tramping  grounds,  and  cultivates  a  lively  interest 
in  all  that  pertains  to  the  good  of  its  people  and  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  industry.  In  later  years,  he  has  become  promi- 
nently identified  with  real  estate  transactions  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
at  New  Brunswick,  and  upon  the  Raritan  River,  in  New  Jersey. 
In  all  these,  he  has  been  successful,  and  largely  so ;  and  so  real 
estate  operations,  involving  large  capital,  absorb  much  of  his  time 
and  large  means. 

In  1847-'8,  Dr.  ATKINSON  resided  nearly  a  year  in  the  south, 
principally  at  New  Orleans.  Since  the  war,  with  the  exception  of 
last  year,  he  has  passed  his  winters  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
Union,  and  during  these  annual  journeys,  has  visited  every  legisla- 
tive assembly  in  the  South. 

"The  Fashion  Plantation,"  near  New  Orleans,  and  once  the 
property  of  Gen.  Dick  Taylor,  son  of  President  Z.  Taylor,  was 
confiscated  by  the  Government  just  after  the  close  of  the  war.  An 
acquaintance  of  Dr.  ATKINSON'S  purchased  the  property,  and, 
requiring  money  to  pay  for  it,  he  applied  to  Dr.  A.  for  a  loan  of 
$20,000.  The  loan  was  granted,  the  doctor  securing  himself  by 


A.  D.  ATKINSON.  501 

bond  and  mortgage.  This  he  held  a  year  or  two,  and  was  finally 
enabled  to  realize  upon  his  investment,  suffering  only  a  moderate 
loss! 

In  1853,  Dr.  ATKINSON  married  Miss  EMMA  BARNSDALL, 
daughter  of  Mr.  JOHN  BARNSDALL,  then  a  resident  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  and  a  brother  of  WILLIAM  and  JOSEPH  BARNSDALL, 
of  Titusville,  Pa.  This  marriage  relation  doubtless  furnishes  the 
motive  and  incentive  to  Dr.  ATKINSON'S  subsequent  prominent 
and  successful  connection  with  the  development  of  Petroleum  in 
Western  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  BARNSDALL,  the  father-in-law,  being 
a  large  owner  in  the  second  well  struck  in  the  Oil  Region,  upon 
the  Watson  flats  below  Titusville. 

Personally,  Dr.  ATKINSON  is  a  man  of  many  excellencies,  and 
marked  private  worth.  Large-hearted,  so  to  speak,  he  is  generous 
to  a  fault.  Attractive  in  manner,  he  is  always  companionable,  and 
sure  and  unvarying  in  his  friendships  and  attachments.  A  single 
instance  will  illustrate  his  generosity  and  liberality.  Col.  E.  L. 
Drake  had,  in  1860,  or  1861,  purchased  a  tract  of  land  lying  in  the 
then  village  of  Titusville,  consisting  of  twenty-six  acres.  He  paid 
a  nominal  sum  for  it — $2,000  to  $3,000 — giving  a  mortgage  for 
the  amount  unpaid.*  In  1863,  this  mortgage  became  due,  and  the 
holder  pressed  Col.  Drake  for  its  payment.  The  property  had 
meantime  quadrupled  in  value.  Col.  Drake  had  applied  to  several 
personal  friends  to  aid  him  in  his  embarrassment,  but  had  obtained 
no  relief.  Some  one  suggested  that  he  make  his  application  to- Dr. 
ATKINSON.  "  But  I  don't  know  Dr.  ATKINSON  !"  said  Col.  Drake. 
"  That'll  make  no  difference,"  said  his  friend ;  "  the  doctor  will 
help  you  out,  I  know."  Col.  Drake  presented  the  Vnatter  to  Dr. 
ATKINSON,  giving  him  a  full  detail  of  his  threatened  disaster.  The 
property  was  offered  to  Dr.  A.  for  $10,000.  "  I  will  give  you 
$12,000  for  it,"  said  Dr.  ATKINSON,  "and  I  will  hold  it  subject  to 

*  This  property  has  since  become  part  and  parcel  of  the  City  of  Titusville,  and  is 
worth  to-day,  half  a  million  dollars.  It  is  that  part  of  the  city  lying  east  of  Martin 
Street. 


502  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

your  future  efforts  to  dispose  of  it  at  a  still  further  advance."  The 
doctor  added:  "  If  at  any  time  during  the  next  twelve  months,  you 
can  sell  it  for  more  than  $12,000,  you  may  have  all  the  profits!" 
The  sale  was  made,  and  Col.  Drake  was  saved  from  impending 
bankruptcy,  and  by  a  total  stranger.  The  property  was  subse- 
quently sold,  and  within  the  time  named  by  Dr.  ATKINSON,  for 
$16,000;  but  neither  Col.  Drake,  nor  Dr.  ATKINSON  profited  by  the 
advance.  The  individual  who  purchased  the  property  from  Dr. 
ATKINSON,  of  whom  a  deed  had  been  obtained  for  $12,000,  with 
the  understanding  that  all  over  that  amount,  obtained  for  it,  should 
go  to  Col.  Drake,  neglected  to  make  good  his  verbal  agreement  to 
do  so,  and  retained  the  $4,000  profit  as  his  own !  But  the  trans- 
action, so  far  as  Dr.  ATKINSON  was  connected  with  it,  did  honor 
to  his  generosity  and  liberality. 

Dr.  ATKINSON  is  in  middle  life,  the  picture  of  health,  and  seems 
to  enjoy  the  very  personification  of  an  unbroken  constitutional  vigor. 
He  is  just  what  he  seems  to  be  at  first  acquaintance,  a  plain,  sub- 
stantial, good  man,  without  guile,  ostentation,  or  modern  "airs." 
A  man  of  clear  conceptions,  and  rapid  comprehensive  grasp,  he 
has  business  qualifications  of  a  high  order.  Honor,  honesty  and 
integrity  of  character,  make  up  his  private  worth,  and  endear  him  to 
all  who  know  him.  In  his  domestic  relations  he  is  indulgent  and 
devoted — his  little  family  circle  being  his  "  Heaven  upon  Earth." 
As  a  citizen  he  is  enterprising;  liberal,  and  cordial  with  all.  As  a 
neighbor  he  is  obliging,  and  full  of  those  little  attentions  and  accom- 
modations so  generally  appreciated,  and  we  may  add,  indispensable 
in  all  communities.  As  a  friend  he  is  cordial,  devoted  and  steadfast. 
Such  men  mase  the  world  better  for  their  living  in  it — and  this  is 
the  estimate  we  put  upon  Dr.  A.  D.  ATKINSON,  coupled  with  the 
hope  that  he  may  live  many,  many  years,  to  enjoy  the  bounties  now 
surrounding  him,  among  the  least  of  which,  in  our  judgment,  is 
the  ample  fortune  he  has  amassed  by  his  own  industry. 


Wmidbiii-Tlype     A.  P.  R.  P.  Co.,  Phil* 


JOHN    L.    McKINNEY. 


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JOHN   L.    McKiNNEY.  5Q3 


JOHN  L.  McKiNNEY. 

TITUSVILLE,   PA. 

JOHN  L.  McKiNNEY  was  born  at  Pittsfield,  Warren  Co.,  Pa., 
on  the  21st  day  of  June,  1842,  of  thrifty,  industrious,  well  to  do 
parentage,  and  is  the  second  son  of  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter.  He  had  the  advantages  of  an  excellent  district  school 
education  until  he  attained  the  age  of  15 — from  the  age  of  12,  aiding 
his  father  in  the  conduct  of  his  lumbering  and  farming  inter- 
ests, as  he  was  enabled  to  do,  during  the  school  vacations  of  the 
summer  months.  At  sixteen  he  assumed  almost  entire  charge  of 
his  father's  books  and  accounts,  involving  considerable  amounts 
of  property  which  was  constantly  changing  in  value,  location, 
<fec. ;  often  superintending  the  sales  of  lumber,  farm  products, 
and  whatever  else  made  up  the  bulk  of  his  father's  business. 
All  this  responsibility  young  McKiNNEY  discharged  with  fidelity 
and  an  ability  rarely  exhibited  in  one  of  his  years  and  experience. 
He  remained  with  his  father  in  this  responsible  position  three 
years,  when  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  resolved  to  grapple  the  world 
in  his  own  behalf. 

The  discovery  of  Petroleum  oil,  near  Titusville,  and  at  other 
points  on  Oil  Creek,  had  already  attracted  the  attention  of  the  pub- 
lic, and  thither  young  McKiNNEY  bent  his  steps.  His  father 
strongly  opposed  this  new  enterprise  on  the  part  of  his  son — not 
yet  come  to  man's  estate — but  visions  of  wealth,  and  a  desire  to 
"  strike  a  blow  for  himself/'  outweighed  all  else,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer and  fall  of  1861,  we  find  him  at  Franklin,  Pa.,  with  less  than 
$500  cash  capital,  looking  for  an  opportunity  to  invest.  He  was 
not  long  in  search  of  a  "  a  good  thing,"  as  he  deemed  it.  His 


504  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

first  venture  was  upon  a  lease  and  well,  located  on  the  Allegheny 
River,  south  of  Franklin.  Here  he  risked  a  large  portion  of  his 
cash  capital,  drawing  upon  his  father  for  much  of  the  lumber  and 
timber  needed  in  the  erection  of  a  derrick,  engine  house,  &c. 

This  well  was  a  failure — made  so  through  the  bad  management 
of  the  parties  engaged  in  its  drilling  and  subsequent  testing,  and 
young  McKixxEY's  loss  was  total. 

This  first  investment  proved  to  be  disastrous,  but  Mr.  McKiN- 
NEY,  with  a  wise  foresight,  had  partially  provided  against  such  a 
contingency.  He  had  invested  in  one  or  two  "interests"  on  "Oil 
Creek/'  both  which  proved  to  be  successful,  and  left  him  sound 
financially. 

In  the  spring  of  1862,  he  purchased  an  undivided  one-third 
interest  in  a  well  and  lease  on  the  Jno.  McClintock  farm,  near 
Rouseville.  At  the  date  of  this  purchase,  the  well  was  down  about 
125  feet,  and  had  been  drilled  thus  far  with  a  "spring-pole."  This 
process  was  continued  to  the  depth  of  300  feet,  and  then  a  "  horse- 
power'7 was  substituted,  which  exhausted  itself  at  400  feet,  and  a 
steam  engine  was  found  to  be  indispensable.  With  this  steam 
power,  the  well  was  drilled  to  the  depth  of  512  feet,  and  at  once 
began  to  flow,  at  the  rate  of  500  barrels  per  day  !  The  well  con- 
tinued to  flow  for  nearly  two  years,  gradually  lessening  in  product, 
but  yielding  to  its  fortunate  owners,  thousands  and  thousands  of 
dollars  in  profits. 

The  history  of  this  well,  and  Mr.  McKiNNEY's  connection  with 
it,  may  be  set  down  as  the  history  of  very  many  others  of  the  earlier 
developments  "  on  the  Creek,"  and  may  not  be  without  interest  to 
the  general  reader.  After  the  purchase  of  his  one-third  interest  in 
this  lease,  he  gave  to  its  development  all  his  individual  effort,  and 
every  dollar  of  money  he  was  able  to  command.  He  worked  his 
regular  "  tower,"  "  kicking  the  pole,"  and  followed  the  business  of 
"a  driller,"  with  all  the  industry  and  devotion  of  an  interested 
owner.  "Weeks,  had  run  into  months,  in  labors  upon  this  well, 
and  yet  all  was  in  doubt.  Hope  alone  kept  the  operators  to  their 


JOHN   L.   McKiNNEY.  507 

In  1864,  still  retaining  several  small  interests  in  his  early  invest- 
ments, Mr.  McKiNNEY,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Wm.  C.  Duncan, 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  Mr.  George  Work,  of  Philadelphia,  and  others, 
visited  the  then  developing  oil  belts  of  Green  Co.,  Pa.,  and  leased 
large  tracts  of  land  along  Duncard  Creek.  This  leased  land  was 
afterwards  sold  to  other  parties,  the  original  lessees  realizing  a  con- 
siderable profit.  In  1864-5,  Mr.  McKiNNEY  took  up  his  residence 
in  Philadelphia,  still  holding  a  business  relationship  with  the  oil 
regions — occasionally  visiting  the  scenes  of  his  early  successes,  pur- 
chasing interests  here  and  there,  and  steadily  adding  to  his  worldly 
possessions.  During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1866?he  purchased 
interests  in  several  leases  and  wells  on  Benninghoff  Hun,  and  sub- 
sequently, consolidating  various  other  productive  and  valuable  oil 
properties,  among  which  was  an  oil  farm,  owned  by  him  in  fee, 
"The  Benninghoff  Mutual  Petroleum  Company"  was  organized, 
and  Mr.  McKiNNEY  was  elected  its  vice-president.  This  organi- 
zation was  upon  a  substantial  basis,  having  valuable  property  and 
some  of  the  very  best  producing  wells  "  on  the  Creek  "  upon  which 
to  pay  dividends.  It  did  for  a  time  pay  very  largely,  but  "  the 
crash  of  1866  and  1867,"  swept  away  values,  obliterated  oil  compa- 
nies, and  "  gobbled  up "  oil  producers  and  their  labor  of  years, 
leaving  the  oil  region,  if  not  a  desert  of  industries,  at  least  a  section 
almost  wholly  given  over  to  bankruptcy  and  ruin. 

In  addition  to  his  oil  traffic,  Mr.  McKiNNEY  dealt  largely  as 
a  general  Stock  Broker,  and  in  the  disasters  of  '66  and  '67  he 
found  himself  deeply  involved.  The  accumulations  of  his  ear- 
lier years,  seemingly  ample  for  a  life-time,  were  rapidly  exhausted, 
and  he,  left  as  empty-handed  as  when,  six  years  before,  he  made  his 
first  venture  in  the  oil  fields  of  western  Pennsylvania.  But  this 
"complete  ruin"  did  not  discourage  or  dishearten  him.  He  re- 
solved to  "  try  again,"  and  to  begin  as  before,  "  at  the  top  of  the 
ground,"  and  work  out  of  his  financial  embarrassments.  He  re- 
turned to  the  region  in  1868,  and  took  some  leases  at  Pleasantville, 
just  then  the  point  of  attraction  for  good  producing  wells.  Here 
he  met  with  moderate  success,  and  in  a  few  months  began  to  see 


508  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

clear  sky  and  mended  fortunes.  His  industry  and  devotion  to  his 
affairs  soon  placed  him  upon  comparatively  independent  ground, 
and  marked  out  his  future. 

He  remained  at  Pleasantville  until  June,  1869,  when  an  oppor- 
tunity offering,  he  disposed  of  his  interests  at  a  fair  profit,  and  re- 
solved to  enter  the  new  oil  fields  at  Parker's  Landing.  Admoni- 
tion and  friendly  advice,  and  in  some  instances  strong  protests  were 
indulged  in  by  disinterested  friends  against  this  "  suicidal  enter- 
prise,"  as  nearly  every  one  termed  it.  Mr.  McKiNNEY  had,  how- 
ever, "put  his  hand  to  the  plow/7  and  would  not  turn  back. 

Late  in  the  summer  of  1869,  he  made  some  leases  and  purchases 
at  Parker's  Landing,  and  completed  two  wells,  one  of  which  was  a 
kinsman  of  the  "dry  hole"  race,  and  the  other  produced  from  four 
to  six  barrels  per  day.  The  cost  of  wells  at  Parker's  Landing  was 
nearly  double  that  of  other  oil  districts,  and  these  first  investments 
were  not  "  strong  arguments  "  in  favor  of  Mr.  McKiNNEY's  enter- 
prise in  fixing  upon  this  district  as  the  point  of  his  future  opera- 
tions. He,  however,  did  not  falter  or  abate  one  jot  of  his  confidence 
in  the  ultimate  success  of  his  now  redoubled  efforts.  He  made 
more  and  larger  leases,  and  commenced  the  drilling  of  numerous 
wells,  in  that  since  wonderfully  developing  region. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1871,  success  began  to  crowd  upon  him, 
and  through  that  year,  and  up  to  this  time — August  1st,  1873 — 
scarcely  anything  he  has  consented  to  identify  himself  with,  but 
has  served  to  swell  his  bank  account,  and  add  to  his  repute  as  a 
successful  oil  producer. 

While  conducting  his  large  oil  business,  he  managed  an  agency 
for  the  sale  of  Gibbs,  Russell  &  Co.'s  engines,  boilers,  well  tools, 
&c.,  and  during  this  connection,  which  was  incidental  rather  than 
actual  and  positive,  he  sold  not  far  from  $500,000  worth  of  this 
great  establishment's  work,  and  suffered  a  loss  from  "  bad  debts," 
of  less  than  $500! 

In  the  spring  of  1872,  Mr.  McKiNNEY,  in  connection  with  R. 
H.  Sterritt,  purchased  the  one-third  interest  Jno.  T.  Russell  owned 


JOHN   L.   McKINNEY.  509 

in  Gibbs,  Russell  &  Co.'s  Novelty  Iron  works,  at  Titusville,  and  at 
Nunda,  N.  Y.,  paying  therefor  a  princely  sum.  While  he  is  not 
prominently  active  in  the  conduct  of  this  mammoth  industry,  his 
sound  judgment  is  uniformly  sought  by  the  remaining  members  of 
the  firm.  An  enterprise  of  this  magnitude,  involving  so  large  a 
capital,  certainly  requires  the  best  business  talent  to  be  commanded, 
and  Mr.  McKiNNEY  is  in  all  respects,  up  to  the  requirements  of 
the  responsibility  imposed  upon  him.  It  is  needless  to  add  that 
the  present  firm  of  Gibbs,  Sterritt  &  Co.,  is  among  the  most  success- 
ful in  the  oil  regions,  or  in  Western  Pennsylvania. 

When  in  the  fall  of  1872,  "  The  South  Improvement  Company" 
began  to  foreshadow  its  objects  and  aims,  Mr.  McKiNNEY  stood, 
with  the  large  body  of  producers,  opposing  its  schemes,  as  the  effort 
of  a  monopoly,  to  gather  into  its  embrace  the  producing  interests 
of  the  oil  region.  He  weighed  carefully,  every  new  phase  of  this 
all-important  and  all-absorbing  movement,  and  gave  to  each  and 
all  its  later  developments,  an  unbiased  examination.  When  the 
region  "rose  as  one  man,"  to  oppose  and  bitterly  denounce  "  The 
South  Improvement  Company,"  he  held  aloof,  and  was  unwilling 
to  join  in  the  universal  clamor — not  that  he  abandoned,  or  in  the 
least  became  lukewarm  in  the  interests  of  producers,  but  that  he 
deemed  a  calmer  judgment  than  was  manifested,  indispensable  to 
an  adjustment  of  all  questions  at  issue.  With  the  subsequent  ac- 
tion of  "The  Producers'  Congress,"  and  its  efforts  to  control  or 
monopolize  the  product,  shipment  and  sales  of  oil,  Mr.  McKiNNEY 
had  little  to  do,  and  less  confidence  in  as  a  means  of  relief.  He 
regarded  the  proposed  "  plan  of  operations  "  as  unsubstantial  and 
wanting  in  the  essential  elements  of  probable  financial  and  com- 
mercial success.  The  later  history  of  these  transactions,  shows 
how  clearly  he  comprehended  "the  situation,"  for  the  results  were 
a  full  warrant  for  his  judicious  action  from  beginning  to  end.  He 
was,  however,  among  the  first  to  suggest  ways  and  means  to  arrest 
what  was  generally  regarded  as  an  impending  calamity.  He  urged 
first,  a  suspension  of  the  drilling  of  wells  for  six  months;  and  sub- 


510  niSTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

sequently,  the  shutting  down  of  all  pumping  and  drilling  wells  for 
thirty  days.  The  first  despatch  that  passed  over  the  wires  from 
Parker's  Landing  to  other  oil  centers',  electrifying  the  entire  region, 
advising  and  demanding  this  last  great  sacrifice  at  the  hands  of 
producers,  was  dictated,  if  not  actually  written  by  Mr.  McKlNNEY, 
and  signed  by  the  firm  of  which  he  was  the  head — McKiNNEY  & 
NESBITT.  Having  dealt  this  blow,  he  earnestly  followed  up  his 
convictions  with  unremitting  labors  to  unite  the  Parker's  Landing 
district  in  the  movement,  and  in  ten  days  thereafter,  saw  the  fruits 
of  his  efforts  in  more  than  4,500  wells  shut  down  for  thirty  days! 

In  the  early  months  of  1873,  Mr.  McKiNNEY,  with  his  brother, 
J.  C.  McKiriney,  who  for  a  year  past  has  been  his  sole  partner,  pur- 
chased the  two  Hemphill  farms,  and  the  Barnhart  farm,  at  Mil- 
lerstown, now  the  great  oil  field  of  the  Parker's,  or  lower  district, 
consisting  of  about  250  acres.  For  this  property  they  paid  §70,- 
000.  Subsequently  Mr.  JOHN  H.  GAILEY,  of  Parker's  Landing, 
became  a  purchaser  from  the  McKiNNEY  brothers,  of  an  interest 
in  these  oil  lands,  and  they  are  now  being  developed  under  the 
firm  name  of  McKiNNEY  BROS.  &  GAILEY. 

Mr.  McKiNNEY,  besides  the  business  connections  heretofore 
named,  and  his  manufacturing  interests,  atTitusville  and  Corry,  Pa., 
and  atNunda,  N.  Y.,  as  a  partner  of  Gibbs,  Sterritt  &  Co.,  is  a  stock- 
holder and  director  in  two  of  the  soundest  banking  institutions  in 
the  lower  oil  region — The  Parker's  Savings  Bank,  at  Parker's 
Landing,  and  The  Millerstown  Savings  Bank,  at  Millerstown,  But- 
ler Co.,  Pa. 

"We  may  be  permitted  to  mention  here,  what  should  have  been 
stated  before,  that  Mr.  McKiNNEY  on  the  14th  of  February,  1866, 
married  Miss  IDA  D.  FORD,  of  Pittsfield,  Penna.,  a  lady  of  such 
womanly  and  motherly  excellencies  and  attractions  as  are  sure  to 
adorn  the  home  circle,  and  become  a  jewel  in  the  crown  of  her  hus- 
band's triumphs  and  worldly  renown. 

Mr.  McKiNNEY  has  the  elements  of  a  successful  business  man 
largely  developed.  He  possesses  a  well  balanced  mind,  is  a  con- 


JOHN   L.    McKINNEY.  511 

staiit  "worker/7  and  a  thorough,  earnest  " thinker "  upon  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  his  business  affairs.  "While  there  is  nothing 
penurious  or  small  in  his  dealings  with  men,  he  yet  goes  to  the 
bottom  of  every  proposition  engaging  his  attention  or  challenging 
his  favor.  Details  and  their  bearing  upon  results,  are  carefully 
examined,  and  rarely  with  faulty  conclusions.  In  his  intercourse 
with  business  men  he  is  reserved  yet  positive,  and  always  influen- 
tial. His  opinions  are  grounded  upon  a  substantial  basis,  and  he 
is  never  without  ample  language  to  render  them  intelligible.  A 
man  of  positive  convictions,  he  possesses  the  ability  to  defend  his 
opinions  and  carry  men  with  him.  In  his  relationships  to  the 
world  he  is  frank,  zealous,  open-hearted,  in  the  strongest  acceptation 
of  these  terms.  Possessing  the  characteristics  of  the  true  gentle- 
man, he  bears  about  him  the  dignity  of  a  true  manhood.  In  private 
life  he  is  companionable  and  sociable,  beyond  the  power  of  appre- 
ciation until  wholly  and  really  known.  Retiring  in  manner,  and 
reticent  in  hab'its,  he  rarely  obtrudes  himself  upon  others.  Cordial 
and -confiding  in  his  friendships  and  attachments,  his  estimate  of 
men  is  at  once  prompt,  and  usually  correct. 

In  business  circles  Mr.  McKlNNEY  takes  rank  among  the  first. 
He  is  reliable,  and  prompt  under  all  circumstances.  His  industry 
and  devotion  to  his  private  affairs,  and  his  consequent  success,  is 
known  of  all  men,  and  hence  it  is  that  his  obligations  are  regarded 
everywhere  as  "first-class"  and  "gilt-edged."  He  is  at  this  writ- 
ing a  few  months  past  his  thirtieth  birthday,  and  it  is  no  stretch  of 
probability  to  say,  that  a  most  prosperous  future  is  opening  to  him, 
and  that  he  will  advance  to  it  with  the  same  realizing  sense  of  his  per- 
sonal power,  responsibility  and  duty,  that  has  characterized  him 
thus  far  through  a  life  of  remarkable  activity  and  conceded  useful- 
ness and  excellence. 


512  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


FRANK  W.  ANDREWS. 

TITUSVILLE,   PENNA. 

THERE  are  few  prominent  men  now  living  in  the  oil  region  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  who,  identifying  themselves  with  the  early 
development  of  that  great  staple,  petroleum,  have  not  carved  out 
for  themselves  a  history  in  many  regards  remarkable.  When 
the  discovery  was  made,  great  numbers  came,  saw,  and  strived 
manfully  to  conquer,  but  after  a  brief  career,  dropped  out  of  the 
ranks  and  were  heard  of  no  more.  Many  came,  it  is  true,  and  in 
a  few  weeks  or  months,  by  sheer  "  luck,"  gathered  up  their  one, 
two,  three  and  five  hundred  thousand  dollar  fortunes,  and  aban- 
doned the  field  to  others.  But  the  men  who  have  made  the  oil 
region  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  have  been  made  by  this 
wonderful  phenomena  of  nature,  are  those  who  began  early,  and 
have  remained  through  ten  or  twelve  years  of  adversity  and  pros- 
perity, to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  industry  in  a  final  triumph  over 
all  obstacles  and  embarrassments.  Among  this  class  of  men,  the 
subject  of  the  following  sketch  has  a  deserved  distinction,  creditable 
alike  to  his  industry,  his  will  and  his  determination. 

FRANK  W.  ANDREWS  is  a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain  State, 
born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  Windham  County,  Vermont,  on  the 
30th  day  of  May,  1838.  In  May,  1840,  his  father,  a  successful 
farmer,  removed  with  his  family  to  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Geauga 
County,  engaging  extensively  in  stock-growing  and  the  cultivation 
of  a  large  farm.  Here  young  ANDREWS  grew  to  manhood,  work- 
ing upon  the  farm  summers,  and  attending  a  district  school  winters, 
acquiring  a  tolerable  common  school  education.  When  nineteen 
years  old,  he  assumed  the  role  of  a  teacher  in  a  district  school  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  father's  residence,  and  acquitted  himself  with 


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fia^'.    r;ir  MM..-I 


i'IU'-   <?  l'  "^  ••*-,  and  :ib;aj- 

t,-,      .,rh,,     hav<:>    .y/,i.;jcy<,    c]i;.   _,(; 


oni  wmixTs,        ^ 
OJi    iiiiv-leer: 


...ndeji'  with 


Wood  bury  type.    A.  P.  R.  P.  Co..  Phila. 


F.    W.    ANDREWS. 


FRANK    W.  ANDREWS.  515 

was  disastrous.  The  "  faint-hearted  "  increased  with  alarming  ra- 
pidity, and  there  were  only  thirty  left  of  the  first  one  hundred  re- 
cruited !  At  last  a  majority  of  these  "  struck,  and  would  go  no  fur- 
ther ! "  There  was  one,  however,  who  had  resolved  to  "  stick." 
Mr.  ANDREWS  had  set  out  for  Pike's  Peak,  and  if  life  and  health 
were  spared  him,  he  "  would  go  through  if  he  went  alone !  "  Turn- 
ing back  with  the  rest,  for  he  could  not  release  his  teams  or  their 
load,  he  travelled  a  portion  of  one  day  toward  home,  when  he  en- 
countered another  party,  bound  for  Pike's  Peak,  and  he  gladly 
joined  in  this  new  expedition,  and  turned  his  face  once  more  toward 
the  west. 

We  shall  not  follow  this  band  of  resolute  men  in  their  toilsome 
journey  across  the  plains  to  the  point  of  destination.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  they  were  a  little  more  than  three  months  in  accomplishing 
their  journey,  encountering  all  the  vicissitudes,  trials,  accidents  and 
incidents  of  an  emigrating  party  upon  the  great  plains  lying  west 
of  the  Missouri  River,  and  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Their 
numbers,  as  in  the  first  instance,  were  largely  augmented,  until 
their  rolls  showed  125  persons.  Daily  as  they  toiled  and  travelled 
on  toward  the  setting  sun,  they  passed  returning  parties  who  had 
"  seen  enough  and  knew  enough  of  Pike's  Peak  to  satisfy  them !" 
and  had  turned  their  faces  homeward.  They  had  become  disheart- 
ened, and  had  resolved  to  return  to  civilization.  All  told  the 
same  tale  of  disappointment,  disaster,  and  misfortune.  This  did 
not,  however,  appal  the  brave  men  who  made  up  this  second  expe- 
dition with  which  MR.  ANDREWS  had  cast  his  lot.  They  deter- 
mined to  see  the  end  of  their  journey. 

In  June  following,  this  company  entered  the  city  of  Denver, 
Colorado,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  thirty 
strong.  A  few  days  spent  here  in  replenishing  their  reduced  out- 
fit, and  in  recuperating  their  wasted  strength,  and  they  were  again 
on  the  road  over  the  mountains  to  the  gold  diggings  of  Pike's 
Peak.  Reaching  finally  their  destination,  prospecting  began  in 
earnest,  and  for  the  purposes  of  brevity  in  this  mining  venture,  we 


516  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

may  add,  that  startling  success  did  not  follow  in  the  track  of  any 
one  or  more  of  Mr.  ANDREWS'  party.  Many  who  had  come  to 
regard  the  expedition  as  a  failure,  joined  in  the  numerous  parties 
making  up  and  returning  to  the  States,  while  others  abandoned  the 
mines  and  betook  themselves  to  employment  in  the  mining  towns 
of  the  region.  The  result  of  all  this  "  thinning  of  the  ranks  "  was 
just  TWO  of  the  original  or  subsequently  recruited  mining  party, 
and  MR.  ANDREWS  was  ONE  of  these  two,  and  Capt.  BARNES,  a 
hardy  old  California  miner,  was  the  other.  Mr.  ANDREWS  deter- 
mined to  remain.  He  had  suffered  too  much  of  privation  and 
hardship  to  surrender  upon  so  slight  an  experience  in  "  gold  hunt- 
ing." He  had  come  too  many  hundred  miles,  and  had  sacrificed 
too  many  of  the  comforts  of  life  to  entertain  the  idea  of  abandoning 
all  upon  so  slender  a  pretext.  "With  his  sole  remaining  companion, 
he  took  up  his  line  of  march  to  the  rich  placers  of  Clear  Creek — 
operating  at  the  "  Spanish  diggins' ;"  and  here  their  prospecting 
and  mining  operations  were  really  begun.  The  first  day's  return 
to  MR.  ANDREWS  was  "  washings  "  of  the  pure  metal  'amounting 
to  $16  1  Claims  were  "staked  out"  at  various  points,  and  labor 
expended  on  each  sufficient  to  make  good  their  rights  as  discoverers. 
Early  in  August,  however,  Mr.  ANDREWS  was  stricken  down  with 
fever,  and  for  a  long  time  his  life  was  despaired  of. 

During  his  illness  he  sold  a  few  of  his  claims,  receiving  in 
exchange  some  personal  property  and  a  small  amount  of  money. 
He  owned  other  and  more  valuable  mining  interests,  which  he 
retained,  having  determined  to  develop  them  the  following  season. 

He  recovered  his  health  and  strength  slowly,  and  after  a  con- 
finement of  nearly  two  months,  fearing  the  rigors  of  a  winter  in 
the  mountains — snow  to  the  depth  of  eighteen  to  twenty  inches 
having  already  fallen — and  this  in  October — he  determined  to 
close  up  his  affairs  and  return  to  the  East.  He  began  his  journey 
eastward  soon  after,  and  reaching  the  Platte  Kiver  at  Denver,  he 
constructed  a  skiff  or  small  boat,  intending  to  follow  its  course  to 
its  junction  with  the  Missouri,  six  hundred  miles  away.  For  some 


'FKANK  w.  ANDREWS.  517 

days  he  made  satisfactory  progress,  but  the  farther  he  went,  the 
more  shallow  and  unnavigable  the  water,  became,  and  long  before 
he  had  made  one-half  his  journey,  he  was  compelled  to  take  to  the 
dry  land  !  Briefly,  he  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Platte  River,  late 
in  the  fall  of  1859,  and  soon  after  bent  his  steps  toward  St.  Joe, 
Missouri,  where  he  arrived  in  the  month  of  November.  %  Remain- 
ing here  a  few  days,  he  sought  and  obtained  employment  as  a 
teacher,  and  entered  upon  his  trust,  determined  with  the  means 
thus  realized,  to  return  to  his  mining  interests  at  South  Pass  as 
soon  as  spring  opened. 

The  winter  passed,  and  the  $150 — the  amount  received  for  his 
three  months'  services  in  teaching — in  hand,  he  began  to  gather  up 
his  outfit  for  a  second  expedition.  Before  its  consummation,  how- 
ever, ill  health  compelled  him  to  change  his  determinations,  and 
he  returned  to  Ohio.  This  was  in  the  early  spring  of  1860.  He 
reached  home  in  due  time,  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  supervi- 
sion and  conduct  of  his  father's  business.  In  January,  1862,  he 
married  Batpih  L.,  eldest  daughter  of  Anson  Reed,  Esq.,  of  New- 
bury,  Ohio,  a  very  estimable  lady. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1863,  he  resolved  to  visit  the  Oil  Region  of 
"Western  Pennsylvania,  and  during  the  winter  of  1863-4,  we  find 
him  engaged  in  the  lucrative  business  of  "  hauling  oil,"  from  Tarr 
Farm,  to  Oil  City  and  Franklin,  and  oftentimes  to  Titusville,  em- 
ploying several  teams  for  this  purpose,  and  when  "  the  Creek  "  ad- 
mitted, "  boating  "  the  same  commodity  to  the  two  former  points. 
This  "  means  of  livelihood  "  he  followed  into  the  fall  months  of 
1864,  when  he  determined,  having  accumulated,  as  he  believed, 
means  sufficient  for  the  undertaking,  to  try  his  fortunes  in  operat- 
ing. He  secured  leases  on  Cherry  Tree  Run,  then  undeveloped 
territory,  and  put  down  four  dry  holes  !  As  a  commencement, 
this  result  was  far  from  flattering  to  his  zeal  and  industry.  But 
he  did  not  weaken  in  his  faith,  or  slacken  in  his  resolve  to  succeed. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  he  put  down  a  single  well  on  the  McClin- 
tock  farm,  and  later  in  the  same  year,  drilled  three  on  Pit  Hole 
Creek,  all  which  were  like  his  first  four,  dry  ! 


518  HISTOKY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

The  Pit  Hole  excitement  was  about  looming  up,  and  thither  Mr. 
ANDREWS  went,  full  of  resolution,  quickened  and  intensified  by 
his  previous  failures.  On  the  day  of  his  arrival  there  he  secured  five 
half-acre  leases,  agreeing  to  pay  a  bonus  of  $4,000  for  each,  "  and 
one-half  the  oil."  He  paid  $250  down  upon  each  of  the  five  leases 
— $1,250 — and  bound  himself  to  pay  the  balance  of  the  sum  due 
— $18,750 — in  60  days  thereafter!  After  completing  these  con- 
tracts, his  "cash  account"  was  about  balanced!  He,  however, 
contracted  for  drilling  the  first  well,  Mr.  W.  W.  Thompson,  of  Ti- 
tusville,  since  so  famous  as  a  successful  oil  operator,  being  the  con- 
tractor. Mr.  Thompson  purchased  a  small  interest,  to  apply  on  the 
drilling  account,  and  immediately  commenced  the  work  of  sinking 
the  well.  Of  the  remaining  interests  in  the  first  venture,  Mr.  AN- 
DREWS disposed  of  sufficient  to  pay  the  cost  of  putting  it  down,  re- 
taining the  balance.  He  continued  to  sell  interests  in  the  remain- 
ing four  leases  at  excellent  prices,  and  in  six  weeks  from  the  date 
of  his  contract,  sales  had  been  made  sufficient  to  pay  off  all  his  in- 
debtedness and  leave  him  a  handsome  margin  !  To  this  good  for- 
tune, was  added  the  new  well  Mr.  Thompson  had  meanwhile  com- 
pleted, and  it  was  flowing  400  barrels  per  day ! 

During  the  same  summer,  with  other  parties  he  purchased  a  re- 
serve of  3 \  acres  of  the  Hooker  farm,  in  the  Pit  Hole  basin,  paying 
$75,000  for  it.  This  property  was  prolific  of  good  wells,  and 
among  them  was  the  famous  "  Fisher  well,"  which  flowed  from 
the  start,  one  thousand  barrels  per  day. 

Soon  after  securing  the  four  half  acre  leases,  above-mentioned, 
Mr.  Andrews  purchased  one  acre  of  the  Ball  farm,  one  of  the  large 
producing  tracts  of  Pit  Hole,  and  for  this  "  bit  of  land  "  he  paid 
$5,000, — $1,000  down  and  the  balance  in  monthly  payments  of 
$1,000  each  !  Before  the  second  payment  became  due,  or  within 
thirty  days  after  the  purchase,  he  sold  the  fee  of  this  single  acre  of 
land  to  Hopewell,  Parker  &  McLaughlin,  for  $6,000,  reserving 
one-eighth  of  the  oil ! 

Pit  Hole  continued  its  wonderful  developments,  and  as  a  sequence, 


FRANK   W.    ANDREWS.  519 

the  value  of  leases,  lands  and  farms,  went  to  fabulous  prices.     The 
"Hyner  farm"  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  record  of  all  the  surround- 
ing territory.     Mr.  ANDREWS  met  the   owner,  Mr,  Hyner,  one 
evening,    while    the    excitement    was   at   simple    "  fever   heat." 
"What  will   you   take   for   your   farm?"    asked   Mr.  Andrews. 
Mr.  Hyner  hesitated  a  moment,  and  replied :    "  Fifty  thousand 
dollars — cash  \"     "  I  will  take  it,"  said  Mr.  ANDREWS,  "  and  here 
are   $500  to  make  the  contract  binding!"     "Never  mind  that," 
said  Mr.  Hyner,  "  you  come  down  in  the  morning,  and  make  the 
papers !"     The  morning  came,  and  Mr.  ANDREWS  was  promptly  on 
hand — but  Mr.  Hyner  didn't  seem  to  be  as  eager  as  the  night  before 
— he  talked  less,  and  appeared  to  be  in  deep  study !     The  papers 
were   being   prepared,  and  as  they  approached    completion,    Mr. 
Hyner  wandered  a  little  way  off,  and  beckoned  to  Mr.  ANDREWS. 
"  I  told  you  fifty  thousand  dollars  cash  would  buy  my  farm,  didn't 
I  ?"  said  Mr.  H.    "  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  ANDREWS,  "  and  the  papers 
are  nearly  ready."     "  Well,"  said  Mr.  Hyner,  "  I  meant  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  gold!"     This  was  a  stunner  to  the  enterprising 
purchaser.     Gold  was  then  selling  at  $2.15,  and  the  new  proviso 
made  a  difference  Mr.  ANDREWS  had  not  calculated  upon  !  Another 
negotiation  was  entered  upon,  based  upon  $100,000  in  green-backs, 
and  a  ten  days'  refusal  of  the  farm  at  these  figures — $500  forfeit ! 
Later,  Mr.  Hyner,  claiming  he  could  not  make  a  perfect  title, 
"  bought "  out  of  this  contract,  by  refunding  the  $500  paid  for  the 
refusal  for  ten  days,  and  gave  Mr.  ANDREWS  a  lease  upon  any  part 
of  the  farm  he  might  select,  within  sixty  days  thereafter.     This 
farm  was  afterwards  divided  into  halves  or  thirds,  and  sold,  Mr. 
Hyner  realizing  $175,000  to  $200,000  from  the  sales. 

Mr.  ANDREWS'  Pit  Hole  ventures  continued  to  grow  more  and 
more  remunerative,  and  he  steadily  enlarged  his  operations.  At 
one  time  he  could  have  disposed  of  all  his  interests  there,  at  a  clear 
profit  of  $250,000 !  He  added  new  engines  and  boilers,  erected 
new  derricks  and  engine-houses,  and  rapidly  increased  his  leases 
and  liabilities.  Some  months  later,  when  "  the  bottom  went  out  of 


520  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

the  Pit  Hole  basin,"  Mr.  A.  was  left  like  scores  of  others  in  that 
once  attractive  locality,  with  considerable  Pit  Hole  City  property, 
numberless  oil  well  rigs,  boilers  and  engines,  tools,  tubing,  casing, 
&c.,  upon  his  hands,  with  a  scant  stock  of  oil,  and  less  money ! 
His  embarrassments  might  have  disheartened  and  crushed  out  a  less 
determined  man.  Indeed  large  numbers  theretofore  successful  ope- 
rators at  Pit  Hole  and  elsewhere,  did  actually  "give  up  the  ship," 
and  returned  to  their  homes  "  in  the  States,"  with  cash  and  bank 
accounts  either  badly  shattered,  or  showing  balances  upon  the 
wrong  side.  Mr.  ANDREWS,  however,  saw  in  his  disaster  only 
greater  inducements  for  effort.  He  returned  to  "the  creek"  and 
secured  territory  on  Pioneer  Run — this  and  the  Benninghoff  farm  ter- 
ritory, just  then  being  developed  successfully.  He  again  secured 
the  services  of  his  friend,  Mr.  W.  W.  Thompson,  to  drill  his  first 
well,  Mr.  T.,  as  before,  assuming  a  small  interest  to  apply  on  his 
contract. 

The  well  was  first  put  down  upon  a  lease  adjoining  the  "  Union," 
and  proved  to  be  a  300  barrel  flowing  and  pumping  well.  The 
opening  at  Pioneer  Run  was  so  flattering  and  remunerative  that  he 
prosecuted  his  operations  there,  with  redoubled  vigor,  through 
1866—7  and  768,  and  with  large  success,  and  here,  we  may  add,  he 
laid  the  foundations  for  that  ample  fortune  he  has  since  amassed 
and  now  enjoys. 

In  the  fall  of  1867,  he  purchased  five-eighths  of  the  land  interest 
of  the  Tallman  farm  at  Shamburg,  paying  for  the  property  a  little 
over  $40,000  cash.  This  farm  at  the  date  of  purchase,  was  rated 
"Wild  Cat  Territory" — and  the  first  and  second,  and  even  the 
third  well  drilled  upon  it  came  near  establishing  its  character  as 
"  dry  diggins."  The  fourth,  however,  atoned  for  the  first  three, 
for  from  the  start  it  flowed  and  pumped  over  300  barrels  a  day. 
This  farm  was  thoroughly  developed  through  the  summer  of  1868, 
and  into  the  early  months  of  1869,  and  proved  to  be  among  the 
best  oil  tracts  of  the  region,  netting  to  the  fortunate  owners  more 
than  $  500,000  !  and  it  is  yet  a  source  of  revenue.  At  one  time 


FRANK    W.    ANDREWS.  521 

during  the  summer  of  1868,  there  were  four  wells  upon  this  farm, 
the  product  of  which  was  1,200  barrels  per  day.  Oil  at  this  time, 
and  throughout  the  year,  brought  readily  $3.50  to  $4.50  per  bar- 
rel, making  the  average  daily  income  to  the  owners  of  the  Tallman 
farm,  from  these  four  wells  alone,  quite  $4,000 !  Add  to  these  some 
thirty  others  upon  the  same  farm,  all  producing  bountifully,  and 
some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  great  volume  of  greenbacks  daily 
dropping  into  the  cash  boxes  of  the  owners. 

During  the  summer  of  1868,  Mr.  ANDREWS  purchased  the  inte- 
rest held  by  Wm.  A.  Byers,  in  the  Tallman  farm  and  property  ad- 
joining, paying  him  $55,000  cash,  which  proved  a  good  investment. 
Early    in  the  spring  of   1869,  he  returned    to    Cherry  Tree 
Run,  "  in  search  of  satisfaction,"  as  we  infer,  for  his  first  failures 
in  that  locality.     He  contracted  for  drilling  FIVE  wells  upon  his 
own  account,  and  in  connection  with  other  parties,  put  down  THIRTY 
others.     All    these   were   remunerative   investments,   though   not 
largely  so.     It  is,  however,  safe  to  say,  his  "dry  holes"  of  1865, 
were  paid  for,  and  much  more !     During  the  same  summer  he 
drilled  THREE  wells  on  Shaffer  Run,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Char- 
ley Run,  which  were  productive  and  paying  wells.     He  also  inter- 
ested himself  in  the  sinking  of  FIVE  wells  on  the  Allegany  River, 
above  Oil  City,  in  the  same  year.  These  were  small  but  paying  wells. 
In  August,  1868,  in  connection  with  other  parties,  he  leased  forty 
acres  of  the  McClintock  Oil  Company's  land,  near  McClintockville, 
and  twenty-five  acres  of  the  Robert  Shaw  farm,  half  a  mile  north 
of  McClintockville,  on  the  summit,  overlooking  Oil  Creek.     He 
leased,  about  the  same  time,  seventy-five  acres  of  the  Corn  Planter 
Oil  Company's  lands,  adjoining  the  Shaw  farm,  with  a  portion  of 
the  Davis  &  Hukill  tract,  and  soon  after  purchased  twenty-six 
acres  of  the  Robert  Shaw  farm,  paying  therefor  only*  $300  per  acre! 
Obtaining  control  of  all  this  adjoining  territory  rapidly,  he  deter- 
mined to  develop  it  with  his  accustomed  vigor.     And  here  let  us 
state  one  fact  in  regard  to  Mr.  ANDREWS'  mode  of  operating  his 
territory.     Having  acquired  possession,  by  lease  or  purchase,  of  any 


522  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

tract  of  oil  territory,  he  promptly  sets  about  developing  and  testing 
it.  If  a  well  is  to  be  put  down,  he  begins  operations  without 
unnecessary  delay,  and  is  the  first  to  know  the  result.  If  the 
estimated  cost  of  an  engine  and  boiler,  tools,  tubing,  casing,  and 
the  expense  of  drilling,  amount  to  $5,000,  he  is  only  solicitous  to 
see  the  "  bottom  dollar  "  and  the  bottom  of  the  well  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  This  we  believe  to  be  one  important  element  of  his 
success  as  an  oil  producer. 

Immediately  upon  acquiring  title  to  these  four  tracts — three 
by  lease  and  one  by  purchase — he  promptly  contracted  for  drill- 
ing EIGHT  wells,  so  located  as  to  practically  test  the  entire  pro- 
perty. THREE  of  the  EIGHT  proved  to  be  dry  holes;  but  the 
remaining  FIVE  were  abundantly  productive.  All  this  territory, 
embracing  in  the  aggregate  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  was 
rapidly  developed,  much  of  it  producing  largely  and  adding  boun- 
tifully to  the  wealth  of  the  enterprising  owner.  In  the  fall  of  1871, 
he  sold  this  property,  real  and  personal,  at  $60,000,  and  this,  after 
realizing  from  its  product,  in  profits,  more  than  $100,000  ! 

"We  have  thus  briefly  sketched  Mr.  ANDREWS'  career  as  a  pro- 
ducer of  Petroleum — and  even  this  interesting  record  is  incomplete, 
and  shows  but  a  small  portion  of  his  operations  during  the  last  five 
years,  for  he  has  purchased  numberless  interests  in  leases,  and 
wells,  and  tracts  of  land,  owned  and  developed  by  others.  In 
some  instances,  these  purchases  were  made  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
assisting  his  less  fortunate  friends,  but  mainly  as  business  ventures. 
The  large  majority  of  these  latter  investments  brought  him  addi- 
tional wealth,  and  have  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  producers 
of  "  the  Creek,"  and  region.  During  the  five  years  covered  by 
this  portion  of  his  history,  there  were  months  and  months,  that  his 
DAILY  income  reached  the  sum  of  $4,000  from  his  oil  properties 
alone !  But  under  this  "  grean-back  shower,"  swelling  into  a  flood 
that  would  have  submerged  and  utterly  destroyed  some  men,  he 
remained  the  same  careful,  economical,  judicious  man  of  business, 
devoting  to  his  affairs,  his  energies  and  constant  attention. 


FRANK    W.    ANDREWS.  523 

He  is  still  the  possessor  of  valuable  oil  lands,  and  leases,  and 
interests,  in  quite  200  wells,  located  at  Brady's  Bend,  St.  Peters- 
burg, Petrolia,  East  Sandy,  Bredensburg,  the  Milton,  Huff  and 
Henley  Farms  near  Oil  City,  Fee  Farms,  Shaffer  Run,  Shamburg, 
Eed  Hot,  Church  Eun  and  Colorado.  He  is  the  owner,  in  fee, 
of  more  than  5,000  acres  of  undeveloped  oil  territory,  lying  in 
various  sections  of  the  oil  region,  from  Brady's  Bend  to  Tidioute, 
on  the  Allegany  River,  and  "  on  the  Creek,"  from  Cherry  Tree 
Run  to  Titusville.  These  will  add  still  further  to  his  worldly 
wealth  when  developed ;  but  we  venture  the  prediction,  that  no 
amount  of  prosperity  will  change  the  general  characteristics  of  the 
man  as  we  have  indicated  them  in  this  imperfect  sketch  of  his  his- 
tory. 

One  fact  in  regard  to  the  SYSTEM  which  Mr.  ANDREWS  has 
adopted  in  the  conduct  of  his  large  oil  business,  deserves  mention 
here.  His  oil  interests,  developed  and  developing,  are  scattered 
widely  over  the  oil  fields  of  the  region.  It  would  be  an  im- 
possibility to  visit  them  all,  even  once  a  month.  He  has  therefore 
adopted  a  system  of  "  checks  and  balances,"  that  meet  exactly  the 
emergency.  Every  well  is  provided  with  blanks,  which  the  person 
in  charge  is  required  to  fill  up  once  a  day,  giving  the  product  of 
the  twelve  hours  of  his  control.  This  record  shows  the  product 
of  the  well  at  any  date  required.  If  delays  have  occurred,  the 
cause  is  set  forth.  If  expenses  have  been  incurred,  the  amount  is 
given,  and  the  reasons  are  assigned  fully.  If  the  product  has  fallen 
off,  it  is  either  from  neglect  of  duty  or  from  natural  causes,  which 
is  readily  shown  from  these  daily  check  reports.  In  this  simple 
mode  and  manner,  Mr.  ANDREWS  has  from  week  to  week,  and 
oftener,  if  desired,  the  product  of  each  and  all  his  wells,  and  main- 
tains as  perfect  control,  and  has  as  complete  knowledge  of  his  inte- 
rests as  he  could  have  by  daily  or  weekly  visits. 

Before  closing  this  brief  resume  of  Mr.  ANDREWS'  business 
career,  we  should  add  that  he  has  large  and  increasing  manufactur- 
ing interests  at  Titusville,  at  Corry,  Pa.,  and  at  Nunda,  New  York, 


524  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

requiring  a  heavy  capital  to  conduct.  He  is  Vice-President  of 
"  The  Gibbs  and  Sterrit  Manufacturing  Co.,"  one  of  the  largest  iron 
manufactories  in  North  Western  Pennsylvania.  He  is  also  a  stock- 
holder in  four  of  the  principal  banks  of  the  oil  region,  in  three  of 
which  he  is  a  director. 

Mr.  ANDREWS,  is  eminently  a  man  of  business,  of  acknow- 
ledged honor  and  unsullied  integrity.  He  possesses  a  rare 
faculty  of  comprehending  the  intricate  problems  surrounding 
or  entering  into  any  matter  challenging  his  attention.  To  this 
universally  conceded  acquirement  must  be  added  a  more  than  com- 
mendable reticence  as  to  his  business  affairs  and  ventures.  SELF- 
MADE,  he  has  become  thoroughly  wedded  to  a  SELF-RELIANCE 
worthy  of  imitation.  Quiet  and  unassuming  in  manner  and  habit, 
he  is  yet  regarded  by  all  who  know  him  as  a  man  of  solid  worth 
and  real  purity  of  character.  Upright  and  honorable  in  all  his 
business  affairs,  no  "  bonds  "  or  "  seals  "  can  add  to  the  binding 
force  of  his  word,  once  given.  Amiability,  of  the  manly  sort,  is  a 
prominent  element  of  his  character.  Indeed,  he  seems  always  to 
be  of  an  even  temper,  rarely  ruffled  or  ill-humored. 

Financial  operations,  involving  thousands  of  dollars,  are  grap- 
pled with  the  same  apparent  ease  and  almost  indifference,  that  ac- 
company the  simplest  transactions.  He,  however,  never  loses 
sight  of  details,  and  his  active  mind  is  sure  to  work  out  successful 
results. 

In  his  intercourse  with  the  world,  he  is  reserved  and  retiring, 
and  yet  he  is  cordial,  and  cheerfully  so,  with  those  who  know  him 
best.  In  his  friendships  he  is  warm  and  steadfastly  attached. 
Possessing  the  finer  sensibilities  of  a  mature  manhood,  he  culti- 
vates all  the  social  virtues  and  excellencies  that  render  HOME 
attractive  and  inviting.  A  liberal  giver  to  every  worthy  charity, 
and  to  the  needy  poor  about  him,  he  gives  for  the  sake  of  giving, 
and  without  ostentation  or  a  desire  for  publicity.  Rigidly  "  tem- 
perate in  all  things,"  he  is,  besides,  as  blameless  in  his  private  life 
as  he  is  unspotted  and  unblemished  in  his  public  career. 


FEANK    W.    ANDKEWS.  525 

For  a  year  past  he  has  been  in  impaired  health,  partly  induced, 
we  doubt  not,  by  the  death  of  his  wife,  a  most  amiable  and  refined 
lady,  a  devoted  companion,  and  a  kindly,  tender  Christian  mother. 
The  poignant  grief  over  such  a  bereavement,  no  man  may  appre- 
ciate or  fully  comprehend  until  the  bitter  cup  has  passed  his  own 
lips.  Latterly,  however,  release  from  the  cares  of  business,  together 
with  travel  in  a  southern  clime,  have  combined  to  reinvigorate  and 
build  up  anew,  a  constitution  heretofore  preserved  by  an  entire 
freedom  from  excesses  of  every  character. 

Mr.  ANDREWS  is  now  in  middle  life,  full  of  vigor,  full  of  en- 
terprise, and  in  possession  of  ample  ability,  financial,  as  well  as 
mental  and  physical,  to  accomplish  desired  results  in  the  future, 
and  we  hesitate  not  to  prophesy  for  him  a  career  of  great  useful- 
ness, and  an  individual  prosperity  sure  to  keep  even  pace  with  the 
careful,  the  determined,  the  economical,  and  the  industrious. 


526  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


HENRY  HARLEY. 

NEW  YORK   CITY. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch,  one  of  the  marked,  and  we  may  add, 
remarkable  men  of  the  oil  region,  was  born  of  most  excellent 
family,  in  Canton,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  on  the  28th  day  of  April, 
1839.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four — three  sons  and  one 
daughter. 

O 

Young  HARLEY  had  the  advantages  of  an  excellent  common 
school  education,  and  at  the  age  of  16,  entered  the  Rensselaer  Poly- 
technic Institute,  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  graduated  in  1858, 
with  all  the  honors  of  the  institution,  as  a  civil  engineer.  He  was 
soon  after  appointed  to  the  position  of  Assistant  Engineer,  upon  the 
Troy  and  Boston  Railroad,  and  Hoosac  Tunnel,  of  which  Gen. 
Herman  Haupt,  formerly  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Central  Railroad,  was  Chief  Engineer.  The  responsibilities  of  this 
charge  were  assumed  with  so  much  confidence,  and  discharged 
with  such  rare  ability,  that  a  few  months  later,  Mr.  HARLEY  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  Principal  Assistant  Engineer  of  the 
entire  work,  and  was  placed  in  the  immediate  control  of  the  great 
work  of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel.  This  important  and  responsible  posi- 
tion he  continued  to  hold,  discharging  its  duties  with  fidelity 
and  ability,  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in  1861,  when  the 
State  of  Massachusetts  withdrew  her  aid  from  the  road,  and  the 
work  was  suspended. 

In  1862,  Mr.  HARLEY  married,  and  soon  after  removed  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  became  interested  in  the  petroleum  trade,  in  which 
he  was  very  successful.  He  was  the  active  partner  of  the  firm  of 
RICHARDSON,  HARLEY  &  Co.,  at  that  day,  one  of  the  largest 
petroleum  commission  houses  in  western  Pennsylvania.  In  1863, 


526  HISTORY  OF  PETEOLEUM. 


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HENRY  HARLEY.  529 

this  undertaking,  his  skill  and  experience  as  a  civil  engineer,  were 
of  great  value  to  him.  The  line  was  constructed  amid  all  sorts  of 
threatening  demonstrations,  from  a  combination  of  oil  teamsters,  and 
lawless  men,  bent  upon  destroying  whatever  seemed  inimical  to 
their  interests,  or  that  ceased  to  minister  to  their  wants.  The 
threatenings  of  these  men  found  open  utterance  at  all  points,  and 
these  were  either  privately  or  publicly  endorsed  and  approved  by 
those  who  assumed  to  have,  or  really  cultivated  an  interest  in  the 
well-being  of  the  men  whose  cause  they  espoused.  Mr.  HARLEY, 
however,  with  the  same  vigor  and  determination,  which  has  cha- 
racterized him  through  life,  "  pushed  things,"  and  in  the  spring  of 
1866,  his  enterprise  was  an  acknowledged  success,  and  his  efforts 
universally  commended. 

While  this  Pipe  Line  was  in  process  of  construction,  the  team- 
sters of  Shaffer  farm  and  vicinity,  then  forming  a  large  fraction  of 
the  population  of  "  the  Creek  "  between  the  Lower  McElhenny 
farm,  and  Titusville,  came  to  regard  Mr.  HARLEY'S  Pipe  Line, 
and  indeed  all  Pipe  lines,  as  legalized  robbery,  and  as  infringements 
upon  their  rights  as  common  carriers — as  a  fatal  blow  at  their 
means  of  livelihood — or  as  many  of  these  exasperated,  ignorant 
men  expressed  it — "  an  effort  to  take  the  bread  from  the  mouths 
of  their  children/'  Of  course  these  lawless  combinations  had 
plenty  of  sympathizers,  aiders  and  abettors,  who  saw,  in  the  de- 
struction of  the  business  which  had  drawn  so  many  thither,  to 
engage  in  "  hauling  oil,"  a  loss  of  their  own  sources  of  revenue, 
and  hence  it  is,  or  was,  that  Mr.  HARLEY  had  few  friends  who 
dared  to  avow  themselves  such,  and  so  he  may  be  said  to  have  been 
compelled  to  "go  it  alone."  Threats  of  vengeance,  torrents  of 
abuse,  and  a  wild  clamor  for  what  these  men  termed  their 
"rights,"  greeted  him  upon  every  hand.  His  movements  were 
watched  with  daily  increasing  frenzy,  on  the  part  of  the  large 
body  of  teamsters,  all  about  him.  There  were  street  brawls  and 
bar-room  rows,  growing  out  of  these  Pipe  Line  affairs,  which 
finally  culminated  in  an  attempt  to  impede  their  construction  by 
34 


530  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

acts  of  violence,  and  a  resort  to  mob-law.  These  infuriated,  but 
misguided  men,  set  fire  to  the  wooden  tanks  belonging  to  Mr. 
HARLEY,  many  of  which  were  filled  with  oil.  They  sought  to 
destroy  the  Pipe  Line,  by  breaking  the  joints,  and  by  every  con- 
ceivable device,  determined  to  thwart  the  designs  of  the  enterpris- 
ing and  plucky  projector.  They  sent  him  letters  threatening  his 
certain  assassination,  if  he  did  not  abandon  his  scheme  for  im- 
poverishing them  by  ruining  their  business  !  Several  assaults  were 
made  upon  the  men  employed  in  constructing  the  line,  in  which 
pistols,  clubs  and  stones  were  freely  used,  but  we  believe  no  lives 
were  sacrificed. 

While  these  lawless  demonstrations  were  transpiring,  Mr.  HAR- 
LEY was  not  idle.  He  secured  several  detectives  from  New  York 
and  elsewhere,  made  teamsters  of  them,  and  they  in  turn  made  con- 
fidants of  their  fellows.  In  less  than  a  week  after  the  adoption  of 
this  scheme  for  the  capture  of  the  leaders,  Mr.  HARLEY  had  more 
than  twenty  of  their  number  under  arrest,  and  conveyed  to  the 
county  jail  at  Franklin  !  This  strategetic  movement  demoralized 
the  remainder  of  the  gang,  and  in  ten  days  after,  more  than  three 
hundred  teams  and  teamsters  had  shaken  "the  dust  from  their 
sandals,"  and  gone  hence  to  return  no  more.  The  twenty  or  more 
leaders  arrested  and  committed  to  the  county  prison  at  Franklin, 
were  kept  there  for  two  or  three  months,  when,  no  one  appearing 
against  them,  they  were  discharged,  wiser,  and  we  doubt  not,  better 
men! 

Mr.  HARLEY  completed  his  line  from  Benninghoff  run  to  Shaifer 
farm,  and  it  was  a  positive  success.  It  had  cost  him  months  of 
toil  and  a  large  amount  of  money,  but  all  this  was  of  little  account 
when  compared  to  the  fearful  trials  and  almost  insurmountable 
embarrassments  and  determined  opposition  he  had  encountered 
from  the  people  we  have  mentioned.  Going  to  and  from  his  works 
with  his  life  in  his  hands,  a  price  put  upon  his  head,  assassination 
threatened,  overt  acts  committed,  and  the  general  voice,  openly  or 
secretly  against  his  enterprise,  one  can,  in  a  measure,  at  least,  com- 


HENRY  HARLEY.  531 

X 

prehend  his  unenviable  surroundings.  He,  however,  found  himself 
ample  for  the  emergency.  Turning  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the 
left  to  appease  the  wrath  of  those  who  sought  his  life  or  threatened 
the  destruction  of  his  property,  he  completed  his  enterprise,  and 
met  his  reward  in  its  unqualified  success. 

"  The  Western  Transportation  Company"  held  the  only  charter 
granted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  at  that 
period,  for  piping  or  transporting  oil  from  the  wells  to  railway 
stations.  This  was  the  charter  used  for  constructing  the  5J  inch 
pipe-line,  from  the  Noble  Well  to  Shaffer  farm,  before  referred  to. 
As  opportunity  presented  itself,  Messrs.  Abbott  &  Harley  pur- 
chased the  stock  of  this  company,  and  in  the  course  of  the  summer 
and  fall  of  1867,  found  themselves  in  possession  of  sufficient  of  its 
script  to  control  it  all,  and  their  lines  were  subsequently  organized 
under  the  old  "  Western  Transportation  Company's"  charter,  and 
took  the  name  of  "  The  Allegany  Transportation  Company"  The 
following  gentlemen  were  elected  the  first  Board  of  Directors,  held 
January  25,  1869: 

Henry  Harley,  W.  H.  Abbott,  Joshua  Douglass,  J.  P.  Harley, 
and  Jay  Gould.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  Board,  Mr.  HAR- 
LEY was  elected  President;  Mr.  Abbott,  Secretary;  T.  W. 
Larsen,  Treasurer,  and  William  Warmcastle,  General  Super- 
intendent. Mr.  Warmcastle  has  been  associated  with  Messrs.  Har- 
ley &  Abbott,  in  one  capacity  and  another,  ever  since  these 
gentlemen  commenced  their  pipe-line  enterprises,  and  laid,  or 
superintended  the  construction  of  the  first  two  miles  of  the  Benning- 
hoff  Run  line.  Upon  the  consolidation  of  Mr.  Abbott's  and  Mr. 
Harley's  interest,  and  the  organization  of  "  The  Allegany  Trans- 
portation Company"  in  1867,  Mr.  Warmcastle  was  appointed 
General  Superintendent,  and  has  continued  to  hold  the  position 
with  that  uninterrupted  relationship  of  confidence  and  rare  ability 
always  characterizing  a  faithful  discharge  of  responsible  duties. 

In  1868,  "  The  Allegany  Transportation  Company"  having 
grown  into  almost  colossal  importance,  and  hence  under- 


532  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

stood  to  be  "  a  power  "  in  the  oil  regions,  the  attention  of  the  vari- 
ous railway  lines  to  the  sea  board  were  attracted  to  it,  and  the  Pre- 
sident of  the.  Erie  Railway  Company,  Jay  Gould,  Esq.,  succeeded, 
in  advance  of  all  negotiators,  in  obtaining  control,  by  purchase,  of 
the  valuable  interest.  Simultaneously  with  this  purchase,  which 
comprised  little  more  than  one  half  the  stock,  Mr.  HARLEY  was 
appointed  to  the  Superintendency  of  the  oil  traffic  of  the  Atlantic 
and  Great  Western,  and  Erie  railways,  with  the  title  of  "  General 
Oil  Agent."  This  responsible  position  he  continued  to  fill,  system- 
atizing its  cumbersome  and  unwieldy  proportions,  and  reducing 
them  to  practical  business  comprehension,  as  susceptible  of  control 
as  the  simplest  problem  in  mathematics — through  the  administra- 
tion of  Jay  Gould,  and  he  was  re-appointed  to  the  same  position, 
upon  the  accession  of  the  new  management,  of  which  Gen.  John 
A.  Dix,  present  Governor  of  New  York,  was  made  President.  In 
May,  1872,  he  tendered  his  resignation,  his  private  affairs  requir- 
ing his  attention  and  presence  in  Europe.  Soon  after  the  acceptance 
of  his  resignation,  Mr.  HARLEY  visited  Europe,  spending  some 
months  abroad,  business  affairs  in  the  main  engrossing  his  time  and 
attention. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1871,  the  Oil  Creek  and  Allegany  River 
Railway,  impressed  with  the  belief,  doubtless,  that  "  The  AUe- 
gany  Transportation  Company"  had  organized  itself  so  fully  and 
completely  in  the  interests  of  the  Erie  Railway  Company,  as  to 
compel  it  to  stand  in  a  position  of  armed  neutrality,  if  not  open 
hostility  to  the  interests  of  the  former  road,  threatening  seriously 
their  freighting  facilities,  resolved  upon  a  new  pipe  line,  to  meet 
the  emergency.  A  company  was  organized,  under  the  title  of 
"  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OIL  AND  PIPE  COMPANY,"  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Oil  Creek  Railroad,  and  its  construction  promptly 
entered  upon. 

In  August  of  the  same  year,  Mr.  HARLEY  opened  negotiations 
with  the  Oil  Creek  road,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  combination 
of  interests,  and  shortly  after  terms  were  agreed  upon,  resulting  in 


HENRY  HARLEY.  533 

the  organization  of  "THE  PENNSYLVANIA  TRANSPORTATION 
COMPANY,"  with  a  capital  of  $1,700,000,  owning  and  operating 
nearly  500  miles  of  Pipe  Line,  running  hither  and  thither  upon 
the  surface  of  the  earth  "  over  mountain  and  gorge,  over  rock  and 
plain/'  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  in  the  almost  double  triangle, 
made  up  of  Tidioute,  Triumph,  Irvineton,  Oil  City,  Shamburg, 
Pleasantville  and  Titus ville,  with  the  apex  at  Miller  Farm. 

The  new  organization  at  its  first  meeting  elected  the  following 
Board  of  Directors :  Henry  Harley,  W.  H.  Abbott,  Jay  Gould, 
A.  R.  Williams,  J.  Douglass,  C.  B.  Wright,  U.  S.  Lane,  Geo.  K. 
Anderson  and  W,  H.  Kemble.  Subsequently  Mr.  HARLEY  was 
elected  President,  Mr.  Abbott,  Treasurer,  T.  W.  Larsen,  Secretary, 
and  Mr.  Warmcastle,  General  Superintendent. 

Mr.  Thos.  W.  Larsen,  the  first  Treasurer  of  The  Allegany  Trans- 
portation Company,  and  latterly,  Secretary  of  The  Pennsylvania 
Transportation  Company,  deserves  mention  in  this  connection.  The 
position  now  held  by  Mr.  Larsen,  like  that  of  Treasurer  of  the 
Allegany  Transportation  Company,  is  one  of  great  responsibility, 
requiring  ability  of  a  high  order,  and  integrity  of  an  unquestioned 
character.  Mr.  Larsen's  connection  with  this  important  enterprise 
from  its  commencement  to  the  present  day,  is  proof  positive  of  his 
entire  fitness  for  the  position  he  occupies. 

It  may  be  stated  here,  without  fear  of  contradiction  that  "  The 
Pennsylvania  Transportation  Company,"  under  its  present  organi- 
zation and  control,  is  among  the  wealthiest  and  most  substantial 
institutions  of  this  commonwealth.  Its  stock  owners  are  compara- 
tively few,  but  they  are  of  a  character  to  warrant  unqualified  con- 
fidence in  its  soundness  and  stability.  Among  the  most  prominent 
of  these  may  be  named  Col.  Thos.  A.  Scott,  the- great  railway  king 
of  the  continent,  Jay  Gould,  C.  B.  Wright,  U.  S.  Lane,  HENRY 
HARLEY,  W.  H.  Abbott,  Geo.  K.  Anderson,  and  Mrs.  James 
Fisk,  Jr. 

Since  Mr.  HARLEY'S  return  from  Europe  he  has  employed  him- 
self mainly  in  closing  up  his  business  connections  in  New  York 


534  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

City,  to  make  his  home  in  Titusville,  where  he  now  resides,  hon- 
ored and  respected  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  who  know  and  ap- 
preciate him  for  his  worth,  integrity  and  capacity  as  a  man  of 
business. 

Personally  Mr.  HARLEY  is  a  gentleman  of  rare  excellencies.  In 
his  friendship  he  is  devoted  and  constant.  He  belongs  to  that 
class  of  men  who  win  their  way  to  private  and  public  esteem 
through  a  sort  of  magnetic  channel,  founded  really  upon  "  good 
will  toward  all."  Few  are  blessed  with  this  gift,  but  Mr.  HAR- 
LEY seems  to  be  its  possessor  in  an  abundant  and  enviable  degree. 
In  all  his  business  connections  he  is  recognized  as  the  possessor  of 
a  clear  head,  with  an  ample  comprehensiveness  of  detail,  giving  as- 
surances of  success  to  whatever  enterprise  he  undertakes.  In  private 
life  he  is  blameless,  without  high-sounding  professions — charitable 
without  ostentation,  always  ready  with  word  and  purse  to  relieve 
the  needy  and  aid  the  unfortunate.  In  all  his  public  and  private 
relationships  he  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  worth,  integrity  and  rare 
business  capacity.  His  word  is  his  bond,  and  his  bond  is  gold,  or 
its  equivalent.  He  is  now  in  "  the  flush  of  his  manhood  and  the 
years  of  his  usefulness,"  blessed  with  a  vigorous  constitution,  guar- 
anteeing bodily  health  equal  to  the  responsibilities  which  his 
large  and  constantly  augmenting  interests  rigidly  impose.  Let  us 
hope  these  may  be  vouchsafed  to  him  for  many  years,  and  that  his 
career  so  auspiciously  begun  may  be  a  "steady  series  of  brighten- 
ing ^out-looks,"  and  of  brighter  achievements,  through  "a  thousand 
moons  yet  unfulled." 


Woodburytype.   A.  P.  R.P.  Co.,  Phila. 


COL..R.  B    ALLEN 


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COL.  E.  B.  ALLEN.  535 


COL.   R.  B.   ALLEN. 

PARKER'S  LANDING,  PA. 

COL.  ALLEN  is  a  native  of  Delaware  County,  Pa.,  born  in  Upper 
Darby  Township,  on  the  22d  day  of  September,  1838.  He  comes  of 
good  old  Pennsylvania  stock,  and  is  the  second  son  of  a  family  of 
nine  children — four  sons  and  five  daughters.  His  father  was  a  car- 
penter and  joiner  and  master  builder  by  trade,  and  this  calling  he 
followed  successfully  and  industriously,  rearing  a  large  family,  and 
giving  each  and  all  his  children  a  good  common  school  education. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  kept  steadily  at  school  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  old,  acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of  mathematics, 
grammar,  and  the  rudiments  of  a  higher  grade  of  scholarship.  At 
sixteen  he  went  to  his  trade  with  his  father,  and  was  counted  both 
an  industrious  apprentice  and  a  skillful  workman.  During  his 
three  years  of  apprenticeship  he  attended  school  during  the  winter 
months,  storing  his  mind  with  a  knowledge  of  the  principles  of 
mechanics,  mathematics,  &c.  He  followed  his  trade  industriously, 
until  the  war  broke  out  in  1861, — then  in  his  22d  year.  In  April, 
soon  after  Fort  Sumter  had  fallen  into  rebel  hands,  he  volunteered 
for  three  years,  in  a  Cavalry  company,  organizing  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  home,  and  called  "  Mad  Anthony's  Boys."  There  were  vexa- 
tious, if  not  needless  delays,  in  getting  into  the  service,  for  weeks 
and  weeks  after  their  organization,  but  the  "  boys  "  made  good  use 
of  their  time  and  leisure.  When  they  came  to  be  mustered,  as 
they  were,  in  July  following,  they  were  comparatively  well  drilled 
and  disciplined  for  the  tented  field.  Upon  their  muster-in,  they 
were  united  to  and  formed  a  part  of  the  5th  Regiment  Pennsylva- 
nia Volunteer  Cavalry.  The  Regiment  was  promptly  marched  to 
the  front,  and  in  August,  1861,  became  part  and  parcel  of  the 


636  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

Army  of  the  Potomac.  In  1862,  the  Regiment  participated  in  the 
Peninsula  Campaign,  and  the  advance  upon  Richmond.  After  the 
fearful  disasters  of  that  year,  it  was  detailed  for  special  duty  in  the 
Dismal  Swamp  region,  then  infested  with  marauders,  Ku-klux,  and 
spies.  They  remained  here  until  the  early  months  of  1864,  when 
they  were  united  to  Gen.  Kautz's  Division,  and  ordered  to  march  over 
land,  to  City  Point,  charged  with  the  duty  of  severing  railway  com- 
munications, south  of  Richmond,  and  making  a  junction  with 
Grant's  lines  at  Bermuda  Hundreds.  The  Division  accomplished 
its  mission,  destroying  the  railways  between  Petersburg  and  Rich- 
mond, and  all  other  railway  communication,  south.  Subsequently, 
the  Regiment  took  an  active  part  in  the  great  Col.  Wilson  raid, 
upon  the  Danville  and  South  Side  Railroad.  In  all  these  ad- 
vances, skirmishes,  raids,  and  engagements,  young  ALLEN  bore  a 
prominent  part,  in  upholding,  defending,  and  maintaining  the  flag 
of  his  country. 

His  term  of  enlistment  ended  in  the  fall  of  1864,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  the  service,  and  returned  to  his  home  in 
Delaware  County,  Pa.  Here  he  again  took  up  his  trade  of  a  car- 
penter and  builder.  The  swamp  fevers  of  Virginia,  and  the  se- 
verity of  the  campaigns  of  1864,  had  left  their  traces  indelibly 
upon  his  otherwise  rugged  constitution,  and  only  a  few  months 
after  his  return  Home  his  health  failed  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
abandon  the  severe  labor  of  his  profession.  He  spent  a  year  or 
more  as  a  book-keeper  in  Philadelphia,  and  subsequently,  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  patented  articles,  labor-saving  machines,  &c. 
This  enterprise  did  not  meet  his  expectations,  and  after  a  few 
months  of  profitless  labor,  he  disposed  of  his  interest,  and  was  again 
"  upon  his  oars." 

About  this  date  a  personal  friend,  suggested  the  acceptance  of  a 
Superintendency  of  an  Oil  Company  in  the  oil  regions  of  Western 
Pennsylvania.  The  suggestion  met  the  hearty  co-operation  of  Col. 
ALLEN,  and  very  soon  after,  he  was  appointed  Superintendent  of 
"The  Clarion  and  Allegany  River  Oil  Company,"  with  head- 


COL.  R.  B.  ALLEN.  539 

be  observed  and  felt  by  all  who  make  his  acquaintance.  Of  warm 
friendships  and  unmistakable  convictions,  his  opinions  and  judg- 
ment of  men,  are  based  upon  thorough  acquaintance,  and  are 
never  given  hastily  or  without  mature  deliberation.  A  man  of 
generous  impulses,  he  gives  freely  of  his  means  for  all  worthy 
objects.  He  is  universally  respected,  and  admired  for  his  worth, 
integrity,  and  for  the  tenacity  with  which  he  clings  to  his  convic- 
tions and  purposes. 

Col.  ALLEN  is  a  bachelor,  and  has  surrounded  himself  with  all 
the  luxuries  of  a  bachelor's  home.  Books,  paintings,  and  whatever 
contributes  to  his  enjoyment  and  comfort,  make  up  the  attractions 
of  his  sumptuous  apartments,  and  these  he  shares  with  his  troops 
of  friends,  dispensing  his  hospitalities  with  bountiful  generosity. 
In  closing  this  incomplete  sketch  of  the  man  and  his  past,  we  may 
say,  without  being  open  to  the  charge  of  meddlesome  interference, 
that  while  he  seems  to  enjoy  his  bachelor-hood  and  single  blessed- 
ness, in  the  fullest  degree,  no  man  of  his  social  excellencies  and  rare 
personal  good  qualities,  has  the  right — the  Scriptural  right  we 
mean — to  thus  "  hide  his  light  under  a  bushel,"  and  so  we  ad- 
monish and  beseech  him  to  marry,  and  that  too,  without  delay, 
and  repent,  if  repentance  becomes  necessary,  at  his  leisure. 


540  HISTOBY   OF  PETKOLEUM, 


COL.  E.  A.  L.  EGBERTS. 

TITUSVILLE,   PENNA. 

COL.  E.  A.  L.  ROBERTS,  the  inventor  of  the  Torpedo,  for  Oil 
"Wells,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Moreau,  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  on  the  13th  day  of  April,  1829.  The  early  years  of  his 
boyhood  were  without  incident,  save  that  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  he 
boldly  struck  out  for  himself.  In  1846,  then  in  his  seventeenth 
year,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Col.  Pitcher's  company  recruiting 
at  Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.,  for  the  Mexican  War.  Though  a  mere  lad, 
he  served  his  country  faithfully,  and  was  counted  one  of  the  best 
soldiers  in  the  company,  often  receiving  the  commendations  of  his 
commanding  officer.  After  a  service  of  twenty-two  months,  at 
the  close  of  the  Mexican  War,  he  was  honorably  discharged,  and 
returned  to  his  home  in  Saratoga  County,  and  soon  after  entered 
the  Academy  at  Amenia,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  r*e- 
mained  one  year.  After  leaving  the  Academy,  in  1851,  he  entered 
the  dental  office  of  C.  H.  &  W.  B.  Roberts,  at  Poughkeepsie,  N. 
Y.  Here  his  natural  bent  for  mechanics,  found  an  ample  field, 
and  a  few  years  later  we  find  him  a  full  partner  with  his  brother, 
Dr.  W.  B.  Roberts,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This  partnership 
continued  one  year,  and  then  Col.  R.  resolved  to  "  go  it  alone."  He 
disposed  of  his  interest  to  his  brother,  W.  B.  Roberts,  and  soon 
after  opened  a  dental  depot  in  Bond  street,  New  York,  where  he 
entered  largely  into  the  manufacture  of  Dental  material,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  brought  to  perfection  a  Mineral  Compound,  now 
used  by  the  Dental  profession  for  making  what  is  known  as  "  Con- 
tinuous Gum  Teeth."  For  his  many  improvements  made  in  den- 


' 


540  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM, 


,riA^  x:.  Y..,  vW    UV:  r 
.   ••  .  •:;  l-r^l ,  h.  or? ter 


(v.  -  ...  .• .!  t-,  l";  pr,  It  sJe'se.'1  H 

:-,v:!Ji,.f          >'.  Rcoenc,  'And     r 

«r.-vr.'-     .-:»*;H'-t .    S'':V7     York,  ^iiC"'1    <• 

•••^•i   >r- •!'(«.-•."=••«  "•''*   iu.'ii.iiti"  "wHiit  ij;  known  f^  *i  (V 


Woodburytvi'e.   A.  P.  K.P.  Co.,  Pliila. 


COL.   E.  A.  L.  ROBERTS. 


COL.   E.   A.   L.   ROBERTS.  543 

Examiner's  decision,  to  the  Examiner-in-chief,  and  from  the  Ex- 
aminer-in-Chief,  to  the  Commissioner  of  Patents ;  and  from  the 
Commissioner  of  Patents,  to  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  of 
the  District  of  Columbia.  In  every  instance,  decisions  were  ren- 
dered in  favor  of  ROBERTS.  These  several  suits  embarrassed  Col. 
ROBERTS  seriously,  and  delayed  the  issuance  of  his  patent  for 
Torpedoes  until  the  20th  of  Nov.,  1866 — more  than  two  years  after 
filing  his  specifications. 

Infringements  upon  this  patent  became  frequent  and  vexatious ; 
and  to  protect  his  rights,  Col.  ROBERTS  was  compelled  to  commence 
suits  against  several  parties.  The  cases  of  Roberts  vs.  Nickerson, 
and  Roberts  vs.  Hammar,  were  among  the  first  tried — the  Court, 
after  a  patient  hearing,  sustaining  the  ROBERTS  patent  without 
qualification.  Other  suits  were  brought,  and  a  like  result  was 
obtained  in  each  case.  The  suits  of  Roberts  vs.  Dickey,  and 
Roberts  vs.  The  Reed  Torpedo  Company,  followed,  and  were  con- 
tested to  the  last.  Decisions  were  rendered  in  ROBERTS'  favor, 
fully  sustaining  the  validity  of  his  patents,  by  Judges  McCandless, 
Grier,  Strong  and  McKennan. 

"  The  Producers'  Association,"  an  association  embracing  among 
its  membership  a  large  majority  of  the  Oil  Producers  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania oil  fields,  having  a  President,  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and 
Board  of  Directors,  Executive  Committee,  &c.,  in  order  to  define 
their  own  rights  under  the  Roberts'  Torpedo  Patent,  determined 
to  contest  the  validity  of  Col.  Roberts'  claim  to  originality.  From 
$40,000  to  $60,000  was  raised  to  this  end,  and  thereupon  the 
Torpedo  war  became  general,  and  at  all  points,  determined  and 
uncompromising — Col.  Roberts  maintaining  his  position  with  a 
consciousness  of  the  justice  of  his  claim,  and  "  The  Producers' 
Association"  only  desirous,  as  they  alleged,  to  arrive  at  such 
conclusion  as  would  establish  the  rights  of  all  parties. 

In  January,  1871,  a  final  hearing  was  held  before  Judges  Strong 
and  McKennan,  in  the  U.  S.  District  Court  at  Washington,  and 
the  Roberts  Patent  was  sustained — the  Court  granting  a  perpetual 


544  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

injunction  against  all  infringers  in  the  following  language :  "  The 
complainant  is  therefore  entitled  to  a  perpetual  injunction,  and  to  a 
decree  for  account." 

The  expenses  attending  the  litigation  of  suits  brought  by  Col. 
ROBERTS  to  defend  his  rights  and  franchises,  have  been  very  great. 
He  has  disbursed  more  than  $100,000  in  these  cases,  numbering 
not  less  than  two  hundred  in  all.  Many  convictions  and  imprison- 
ments have  followed,  and  more  than  $60,000  in  judgments  have 
been  obtained  against  infringers  here  and  there,  to  the  present  time. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1873,  he  secured  Letters  Patent  for  a 
new  and  useful  "Improvement  in  treating  Explosive  Com- 
pounds, to  render  them  safe  for  blasting  and  other  purposes." 
Under  this  Patent,  Col.  ROBERTS  has  demonstrated  that  he  can  treat 
Explosive  Compounds,  especially  those  mixed  or  combined  with 
water,  so  as  to  render  them  absolutely  harmless,  and  to  be  safely 
handled,  or  stored  for  any  length  of  time,  "without  any  decompo- 
sition occurring  that  would  give  rise  to  dangerous  results." 

On  the  3d  day  of  June,  1873,  Col.  ROBERTS  obtained  a  re-issue 
of  his  patent  for  torpedoes,  granted  Nov.  20, 1866,  and  ante-dated 
May  20,  1866.  By  this  re-issue,  he  claims  "  a  ne\v  and  useful  im- 
provement in  process  of  increasing  the  capacity  of  oil  wells,  and 
also  of  restoring  oil  wells  to  productiveness."  He  also  secured  by 
this  re-issue  a  patent  for  the  apparatus  used  in  lowering  the  torpedo 
to  the  oil-bearing  rock. 

Just  what  Col.  ROBERTS  claims  by  his  "  specifications,"  as  his 
invention,  upon  which  letters  patent  have  been  granted,  is  thus 
concisely  stated  in  his  application  : 

1.  The  method  or  process  of  increasing  or  restoring  the  produc- 
tiveness of  oil  wells  by  causing  an  explosion  therein,  at  or  near  the 
oil-bearing  point. 

2.  The  method  or  process  of  increasing  or  restoring  the-  produc- 
tiveness of  oil  wells  by  causing  an  explosion  at  or  near  the  oil- 
bearing  point,  in  connection  with  superincumbent  fluid  tamping, 
substantially  as  set  forth. 


COL.   E.   A.   L.    ROBERTS.  545 

3.  In  combination  with  a  torpedo  adapted  to  deep  wells,  the 
employment  of  a  weight  and  guiding  cord  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
ploding the  charge,  substantially  as  described. 

4.  The  means  herein   described  for  suspending,  adjusting,  a*nd 
exploding  torpedoes  in  oil  wells  at  any  desired  or  predetermined 
point,  consisting  of  a  wire  or  cord,  attached  to  such  torpedo  and 
through  which,  as  a  medium  of  communicating  ignition,  the  tor- 
pedo is  exploded. 

Col.  ROBERTS,  following  the  natural  bent  of  his  genius  and  rare 
mechanical  skill  and  ingenuity,  is  now  engaged  in  perfecting  a  new 
and  novel  mode  of  propelling  water  craft  of  every  conceivable 
character  and  burthen,  both  inland  and  at  sea.  If  this  new  mo- 
tive power  proves  to  be  a  success,  and  it  looks  very  like  it,  a  revo- 
lution in  navigating  our  inland  lakes,  rivers  and  canals,  and  indeed 
the  ocean,  is  sure  to  follow.  We  regret  the  experiments  now  making 
are  not  sufficiently  developed  to  warrant  a  full  description  of 
this  new  mode  of  propelling  vessels  of  all  kinds,  in  whatever  waters 
they  may  be  found. 

Col.  ROBERTS  is  at  this  writing,  a  little  over  forty-three  years 
of  age.  He  is  blessed  with  a  strong  constitution,  a  clear  head  and 
a  mind  filled  with  original  ideas.  His  personal  appearance  denotes 
activity  of  both  mind  and  body.  A  man  of  iron  will  and  indom- 
itable perseverance,  he  exhibits  a  capacity  equal  to  any  emergency 
which  may  surround  him.  In  all  public  enterprises  he  is  liberal, 
open-handed  and  proverbially  generous.  To  private  charities  he 
gives  with  a  bounty  and  cheerfulness  worthy  of  emulation.  His 
private  friendships  are  not  many,  but  they  are  lasting  and  close. 
In  the  city  of  his  adoption  may  be  seen  many  monuments  of  his 
enterprise,  erected  under  his  own  eye,  and  with  a  view  to  adding 
beauty  and  thrift  to  all  about  him.  We  add  the  hope  that  he  may 
be  spared  to  a  green  old  age  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  genius,  his 
labors  and  his  enterprises. 

35 


546  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


MAECUS  BEOWNSON 

TITUSVILLE,   PENNA. 

MR.  BROWNSON  is  a  New  Yorker  by  birth  and  rearing,  born  in 
the  County  of  Delaware,  on  the  23d  day  of  May,  1822.  He  is 
the  next  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  children — three  sons  and 
four  daughters.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  young  MARCUS 
remained  under  the  parental  roof,  assisting,  as  he  grew  up,  in  the 
labors  of  his  father,  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  At  this  age, 
his  father  died,  leaving  him  in  sole  charge  of  the  farm.  His  edu- 
cational advantages  were  limited  to  the  district  school  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  thus  he  was  enabled  to  improve  a  portion  of  each 
year,  three  or  four  months  at  farthest,  until  the  death  of  his  father, 
which  occurred,  as  before  stated,  when  he  was  nineteen  years  old. 
He,  however,  obtained  a  very  good  knowledge  of  the  common 
branches,  and  was  considered  a  proficient  scholar. 

Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  young  BROWNSON  assumed  the 
entire  responsibility  of  the  conduct  of  the  farm,  providing  for  the 
support  of  the  family,  and  the  payment  of  a  heavy  incumbrance 
upon  his  father's  estate,  divided  by  will  among  the  heirs.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  upon  the  farm,  and  to  conduct  it  industriously  and 
successfully  for  nearly  fifteen  years,  steadily  working  out  of  the  em- 
barrassments that  surrounded  him  at  the  commencement ;  and,  we 
may  add  here,  that  long  before  these  years  had  passed,  he  had  pro- 
vided for  all  the  liabilities  upon  the  property,  and  had,  by  economy 
and  careful  attention  to  his  affairs,  been  able  to  count  up  a  goodly 
sum  as  the  profits  of  his  industry  and  thrift. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1844,  Mr.  BROWNSON,  then  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  married  Miss  MARY  A.  WALLING,  a  lady  of  New 


RGUS    F^ROWNSON 


546 


HISTORY   OF  PETROLEUM. 


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-is  i  n«-r^'C*;  vw.rs  old. 
,  (i«>  r-f  the  rr 


•.  :         ou     -  -v    :;>pn!no<l  tho 

rir.   f«'^vkiing  i«»r  tho 

i»  :u\Ty  incumbrance 

ii  ;*  i   -rig  -  hi'  heirs,     lie  con- 

cos  i'-ft  it  industriously  and 

15)     "vorkt  iig  oar  of  the  era- 

r^r    MrLCTinenif'?j.f.  ;  aod?  \vo 

-  .-.r-     .1  pns^d.  he  had  ]>ro- 

*'-iwnv.  and  had,  by  economy 

Alvle  r-.-  oount  up  a  goodly 


•^SON,  then  twenty-two 
•:NG,  a  laiy  of  ISew 


Woodhnrytjpe.  A.  P.  R.P.  Co.,  Phil 


MARCUS   BRO\VNSON. 


MARCUS   BROWNSON.  549 

This  business  connection  and  important  traffic — important  in 
more  ways  than  we  have  time  or  space  to  mention,  was  continued, 
increasing  in  magnitude  and  augmenting  in  profits,  until  the  spring 
of  1860,  when  Mr.  BROWNSON  determined  to  re-visit  his  home  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  soon  after  sailed  thence,  where  he  ar- 
rived in  the  early  days  of  June  of  that  year. 

The  Presidential  canvass  of  1860,  was  just  opening,  and  the 
country  was  filled  with   mutterings  of  an  approaching  national 
crisis,    never    before    experienced.      The    election    of   Abraham 
Lincoln    followed   in  the    fall    of  1860,    and    thenceforward  the 
threatened  rebellion  and  secession  of  the  Southern  States  of  the 
Union,  began  to  assume  alarming  proportions.     The  "  overt  act/' 
was    committed,   firing  upon  Fort  Sumter,   in  April,  following, 
and  the  North  and  the  South  sprang  to  arms.     Mr.  BROWNSON 
promptly  espoused  the  Union  cause,  and  did  his  whole  duty  in 
aiding  the  government  in  the  terrible  struggle  for  its  own  main- 
tenance,   through    four  years  of  bloody  civil  war.      He  had  re- 
solved to  remain  at  the    North,    and    "survive  or  perish"  with 
those  who    would   preserve  the  government  of  our  fathers  from 
rebellious  hands.     At  one  time  during  the  war  he  held  minor  re- 
lationships to  the  armies  of  the  republic,  furnishing  troops  to  the 
thinning  ranks,  and  whatever  else  he  might  do,  to  sustain  "  the 
flag  of  the  free."     As  a  member  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  he 
traversed  the  lines  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  visiting  the  sick 
and  ministering  to  those  requiring  assistance  of  any  character. 

During  these  years  of  civil  strife,  he  engaged  in  no  settled  busi- 
ness enterprise,  until  some  time  in  the  fall  of  1863,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  only  a  few 
months,  for  he  had  already  determined  to  visit  the  oil  regions  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  and  try  his  fortunes  in  that  marvelous  field 
of  industry  and  prodigal  wealth. 

In  June,  1865,  Mr.  BROWNSON  removed  to  Titusville,  then  the 
great  distributing  centre  of  the  oil  fields  of  "  the  Upper  Creek  re- 
gion." The  Pit  Hole  "dazzle"  was  at  its  zenith,  and  thither,  a  few 


550  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

days  subsequent  to  his  arrival  at  Titusville,  he  bent  his  steps, 
and  not  long  after,  was  induced  to  purchase  a  small  interest  in  a 
well  going  down,  upon  the  Holmden  farm.  Without  stopping  to 
give  details  of  this  investment,  we  may  add,  that  the  interest  cost 
him  $500,  and  that  the  well  proved  an  utter  failure  !  Some  months 
later  he  purchased  a  brick  building  and  lot,  upon  the  site  now  oc- 
cupied by  "  The  City  Bakery,"  on  Spring  street,  Titusville,  and 
this  he  rented,  for  the  purpose  it  is  now  used — a  bakery.  At  the 
end  of  six  months  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  so  this 
investment  "  turned  to  ashes  " — for  it  was  only  partially  insured. 
Mr.  BROWXSON  rebuilt  it  of  brick,  in  1865,  and  soon  after  re-sold 
it  to  the  original  owners. 

These,  and  other  unfortunate  ventures,  had  to  a  degree  crippled 
Mr.  BROWNSON  financially.     His  entire  capital,  when  he  arrived 
in  Titusville,  in  1864,  did  not  exceed  §7,000.  And  this  sum,  how- 
ever carefully  handled,  and  invested,  without  some  gains,  would 
hardly  "stick  to  a  man  through  the  Pit  Hole  campaign,  and  stand 
one  fire  with  a  loss  of  §3,000  to  $4,000 ! "     Added  to  his  embar- 
rassments, was  the  fact  that  he  had  loaned  to  a  personal  friend, 
whom  he  sought  to  aid  in  his  enterprise,  §2,500,  taking  some  "wild 
cat "  security  for  its  payment.    This  debtor  betrayed  his  confidence, 
took  "  French  leave,"  and  departed  hence,  leaving  Mr.  BROWNSON 
and  other  creditors  to  get  their  honest  dues  as  best  they  could.     It 
was  full  three  years  before  the  absconder  was  heard  from,  and  four 
years  before  Mr.  B.  met  him  face  to   face.     Meantime,  a  year  or 
two  after  his  departure,  the  security  left  to  Mr.  BROWNSON  became 
valuable,  and  the  $2,500  were  realized.     About  the  close  of  the 
year,  1865,  however,  the  balances  of  Mr.  BROWXSON'S  §7,000  capi- 
tal,  balanced  each  other — he  had  next  to  nothing  in  cash,  and  he 
owed  no  man  a  dollar !     And  here  we  may  remark,  en  passent, 
that  during  a  business^career  of  more  than  thirty  years,  he  has  paid 
one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar  of  his  indebtedness,  and  has  never 
asked  rebate  or  discount  from  any  sum  he  was  honestly  or  legally 
liable  for. 


MARCUS   BROWNSON.  551 

In  1866,  Mr.  BROWNSON  resolved  to  try  his  fortunes  as  an  oil 
producer.  He  had  little  or  no  cash  capital,  but  he  had  an  unblem- 
ished name  and  fame,  and  this  was  capital  sufficient  for  an  indus- 
trious, determined  man  like  him.  He  removed  to  Pioneer,  in  the 
spring  of  that  year,  and  soon  after,  in  connection  with  others  as  part- 
ners, secured  three  half  acre  leases  upon  the  BenninghofF  Farm, 
(Western  Run,)  just  then  developing  quite  largely.  For  these 
leases  about  $1,000  each  was  paid,  "  and  half  the  oil."  As  before 
stated,  his  own  resources  were  very  limited.  His  friends  at  Titusville 
had  tendered  him  accommodations,  by  way  of  endorsement,  &c.,  to 
prosecute  his  enterprises,  but  he  thankfully  declined  them,  pre- 
ferring, as  he  avowed,  "  to  fail,  if  fail  he  must,  without  embarrass- 
ing his  friends,  and  dragging  them  down  with  him." 

After  procuring  the  leases  above  named,  interests  were  disposed 
of  in  each,  sufficient  to  repay  the  bonuses,  and  complete  the  wells. 
In  this  safe  way  he  began  his  operations  as  a  producer  of  petroleum, 
retaining  in  each  lease  a  "  free  interest,"  which  in  the  end,  proved 
to  be  quite  productive,  and  in  each  instance  were  sources  of  revenue 
and  profit  to  him. 

We  should  state  here,  that  before  his  removal  to  Pioneer,  he  had 
acquired  a  small  interest  in  a  well  on  the  McClintock  Farm,  and 
another  at  Benninghoff  Hollow,  the  former  of  which  was  a  failure, 
and  the  latter  a  paying  investment.  The  wells,  three  in  number, 
upon  the  leases  first  mentioned,  were  each  good  producers,  and  went 
far  towards  mending  the  broken  fortunes  of  Mr.  BROWNSON  .  Later, 
in  1867,  he  was  interested  in  two  other  wells  upon  the  Benninghoif 
Farm,  one  of  which  paid  good  dividends,  and  the  other  proved 
valueless. 

During  1867,  and  '68,  the  line  of  developments  extended  across 
Pioneer  Run,  to  the  Foster  Farm,  and  here  Mr.  BROWNSON  con- 
tinued his  operations  during  these  years  with  flattering  success.* 

*  During  the  years  of  1868,  and  '69,  Mr.  B.  was  also  extensively  engaged  in  oil  opera- 
tions at  Shamburg,  and  Red  Hot,  and  held  interests  in  eight  or  ten  good  producing 
wells.  This  property  he  sold,  in  two  different  quantities,  after  realizing  very  accepta- 
bly from  their  product  for  nearly  two  years. 


552  HISTORY    OF   PETROLEUM. 

In  1869,  continuing  his  developments  upon  the  Foster  Farm,  he 
extended  his  enterprise  and  operations  to  the  Pierson  Farm,  west 
of  Pioneer  Run  and  the  Benninghoff  Farm.  Success  crowned  his 
efforts,  and  later  in  1869,  and  '70,  in  conjunction  with  F.  W.  An- 
drews and  others,  developments  were  inaugurated  upon  the  Shaw 
Farm  above  Rouseville.  This  farm  was,  during  its  producing  life, 
prolific  of  good  wells.  The  enterprising  lessees,  while  they  dis- 
posed of  their  product,  in  1868,  and  '69,  at  very  low  rates,  were  yet 
enabled,  before  the  farm  was  exhausted,  to  realize  large  gains,  and 
it  is  safe  to  say,  that  here  Mr.  BROWNSON  laid  the  foundations  of 
his  future  prosperity  and  substantial  wealth. 

It  was  during  these  three  or  four  years  of  prosperity,  that  in  ex- 
tending his  enterprises  and  enlarging  his  investments,  Mr.  BROWN- 
SON  became  interested  in  the  marvellous  "Venture  "Well,"  at 
Fagundas,  that  produced  from  the  start  between  three  and  four 
hundred  barrels  per  day  !  In  1870,  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
the  "  Shaw  Farm/7  together  with  his  Fagundas  and  Hickory  prop- 
erty, to  F.  W.  Andrews  and  Charles  Bly,  for  $55,000. 

He  had  the  year  previous  made  sale  of  his  Pierson  Farm  prop- 
erty, together  with  some  other  small  interests  in  that  vicinity,  for 
$10,000. 

In  1869,  or  '70,  Mr.  BROWNSON,  in  connection  with  F.  W.  An- 
drews and  T.  C.  Joy,  of  the  one  part,  and  D.  B.  Benson  &  Co.,  of 
the  other  part,  purchased  four  hundred  acres  of  land  lying  in  what 
is  known  as  the  Colorado  oil  field,  eight  or  ten  miles  north-east 
of  Titusville.  This  property  is  very  productive,  and  is  being 
developed  steadily,  though  not  as  vigorously  as  it  would  be  if  the 
price  of  oil  was  nearer  its  remunerative  value. 

About  the  date  of  the  above  purchase,  Messrs.  Brownson,  An- 
drews and  Joy — Mr.  Joy  being  the  original  owner  of  a  portion 
of  the  tract — became  joint  proprietors  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres  more,  in  fee,  adjoining  their  other  landed  interests  at 
Colorado.  This  property  is  also  being  developed  judiciously,  and 
is  proving  itself  excellent  oil  territory.  We  give  elsewhere  a  more 


MARCUS   BROWN60N.  553 

complete  history  of  the  Colorado  oil  field,  and  omit  further  refer- 
ence to  it  here,  beyond  the  fact  that  it  is  a  source  of  steady  gain  to 
its  proprietors,  Messrs.  Andrews,  Brownson  and  Joy,  who  still  own 
and  operate  it. 

In  the  spring  of  1869,  Mr.  BROWNSON  visited  Parker's  Land- 
ing "upon  a  tour  of  inspection."  This  was  his  first  visit,  but  he 
became  thoroughly  convinced,  that  this  was  oil  territory,  and  that 
its  limits  were  yet  to  be  ascertained.  Before  leaving,  he  had 
secured — with  other  parties — a  ten  acre  lease,  southeast  of  Law- 
renceburg,  and  between  that  point  and  Bear  Creek.  Upon  this 
lease,  four  wells  were  drilled  during  the  summer  of  1869.  These 
wells  were  paying,  but  not  largely  so.  This  property  Mr.  BROWN- 
SON  held,  and  operated  for  a  year  or  two,  and  finally  disposed  of 
it,  at  a  nominal  sum. 

In  1870,  Mr.  BROWNSON,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  A.  K  PER- 
RIN,  a  producer  of  clear  record,  deserved  prominence,  and  we  may 
add,  deserved  success,  purchased  a  five  acre  lease,  upon  the  Robin- 
son farm,  above  Parker's  Landing,  upon  which  were  two  wells, 
one  producing  140  barrels,  and  the  other  20  barrels  per  day,  with 
a  third  to  be  completed,  paying  therefor,  $45,000.  This  large 
transaction  was  followed  by  other  investments  by  Mr.  B.,  in  fee, 
and  in  developments, — in  connection  with  other  parties — upon  the 
Thomas  and  Parker  farms,  at  Parker's  Landing,  and  additional 
enterprises  of  like  character  on  the  Clarion  River.  We  omit  a 
detail  of  these  varied  operations.  They  were  all  flattering  suc- 
cesses, however,  and  added  to  the  wealth  of  the  owners.  In  the 
spring  of  1871,  the  several  investments  named  in  this  connection, 
were  sold  to  Fisher  Bros.,  for  $60,000.  How  much  of  this 
princely  sum  should  be  regarded  as  clear  profit,  may  be  approxi- 
mated, when  we  state  the  fact,  that  during  Mr.  BROWNSON'S  part 
ownership  of  them,  they  paid  bountifully,  and  over  and  above 
first  cost ! 

On  the  very  day  this  sale  was  consummated  with  Fisher  Bros., 
Mr.  BROWNSON  purchased  the  western  half  of  the  "Walker 


554  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

farm,"  situated  four  miles,  southwest  of  Parker's  Landing,  and  two 
miles  north-east  of  Petrolia  city — containing  ninety-two  acres.  For 
this  property  he  paid  $45,000.  This  farm  adjoins  the  Shakeley 
farm,  upon  which  developments  had  already  been  made,  establish- 
ing its  character  as  good  oil  territory.  Upon  the  eastern  half  of 
the  Walker  farm,  had  been  drilled  the  "  Gold  Dust  Well,"  which 
started  off  at  150  barrels,  and  maintained  this  great  volume  for 
many  months.  Mr.  BROWNSOX,  owned  an  interest  in  this  well 
and  lease — about  seven  acres — and  was  identified  with  its  develop- 
ment from  the  first. 

Immediately  upon  acquiring  title  to  this  property — the  Walker 
farm — the  work  of  developing  it  began,  and  during  the  summer, 
fall,  and  winter  of  1870,  and  '71,  four  wells  were  put  down. 

When  Mr.  BROWNSON,  purchased  this  farm,  one  lease  had 
been  given,  and  soon  after  he  came  into  possession,  another  was 
made,  to  other  parties — the  first  named,  being  the  first  drilled 
upon  the  farm.  Just  before  these  two  wells  were  completed,  how- 
ever, he  purchased  both,  paying  $18,000  for  them.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  one  other  lease  and  well,  which  he  put  down  mainly 
himself,  but  upon  an  agreement  to  divide  the  "  working  interest  " 
with  a  valued  friend,  he  hr.s  developed  this  property  entirely  as 
his  own  enterprise.  He,  has  now,  twelve  producing  wells  upon 
"The  Walker,"  or  "BROWNSOX  Farm,"  the  monthly  product  of 
which  is  between  five  and  six  thousand  barrels.  The  average  cost 
of  these  wells  is  $8,500.  So  that  in  prosecuting  these  later  de- 
velopments, he  has  expended  more  than  $100,000.  To  this  may 
be  added,  the  expense  of  an  iron  tankage  capacity  of  10,000  bar- 
rels, at  a  cost  of  $8,000. 

Mr.  BROWXSON  has  recently  purchased  additional  oil  territory, 
on  the  new  oil  field,  near  Millerstown,  so  lately  demonstrated,  and 
denominated  the  "  head  centre  "  of  the  lower  oil  region.  He  is 
the  owner  in  fee,  of  one  half  of  the  "  Boyle  farm,"  containing 
one  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  is  the  possessor  in  fee,  of  a  one- 
third  interest  in  two  other  contiguous  farms,  containing,  about  one 


MARCUS   BROWNSON.  555 

hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  land.  This  property  is  in  the 
line  of  developments,  at  and  near  Millerstown,  and  is  regarded 
upon  all  hands,  as  eligibly  located,  and  sure  to  be  valuable  for  oil 
purposes.  Should  these  anticipations  be  realized,  and  there 
seems  to  be  little  doubt  in  this  direction,  Mr.  BROWNSON,  has  in 
the  near  future  a  mine  of  wealth,  which  his  indomitable  industry 
and  perseverance  will  surely  open  and  secure,  adding  to  his  fame 
as  a  producer  of  Petroleum,  and  greatly  augmenting  his  wealth. 

Mr.  BROWNSON,  as  this  hurriedly  prepared  sketch  of  him  in- 
dicates, is  a  gentleman  of  superior  business  qualifications  and  un- 
sullied public  and  private  repute.  He  is  a  man  of  generous  im- 
pulses, and  marked  liberality  both  in  his  business  relations,  and  in 
his  intercourse  with  the  world  about  him.  A  man  of  social  ex- 
cellencies, high  moral  culture,  and  Christian  practices,  he  com- 
mands the  respect  and  warm  friendship  of  all.  who  know  him. 
Prompt  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  imposed,  he  bears  with  him 
an  unblemished  record,  and  an  unspotted  commercial  name  and 
fame.  Whatever  he  agrees  to  do — no  matter  when  or  where, 
or  whether  under  "  Seal "  or  not — he  will  do,  faithfully  and  surely 
to  the  end  of  the  contract.  By  this  emphatic  language,  we  mean 
to  convey  to  the  reader  the  impression,  unqualifiedly,  that  Mr. 
BROWNSON,  is  an  honest  man. 

He  is  in  middle  life,  hale,  vigorous  and  full  of  determination. 
His  course  is  yet  onward,  and  his  ambition  is  yet  unflagging.  A 
man  of  quiet  manner,  he  wins  the  confidence  and  bears  off  the 
good  opinion  of  all  who  may  fortunately  be  thrown  into  his  society. 
Without  guile,  or  even  the  ability  to  deceive,  his  frankness,  like 
his  manhood,  never  forsakes  him.  Upright  and  honorable  in  all 
his  transactions,  he  is  a  man  to  cultivate,  whether  in  the  walks  of 
private  life  or  in  the  more  rugged  and  tortuous  paths  to  wealth  and 
its  acquirement.  MARCUS  BROWNSON  is  among  the  men  of  the  oil 
region  whose  industry,  sagacity  and  tried  honesty  have  won  him 
distinction,  and  an  ample  competency.  This  he  has  richly  de- 
served, and  none  will  grudge  him  the  enjoyment  of  his  good  for- 
tune now,  or  in  the  future. 


556 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


JOHN  C.  BEYAN. 

TITUSVILLE,   PENNA. 

JOHN  C.  BRYAN,  is  a  native  of  the  county  of  Cork,  Ireland, 
where  he  was  born  on  the  25th  day  of  December,  1831.  He  was 
one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  five  boys  and  seven  daughters, 
all  whom  came  to  man's  and  woman's  estate,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health  and  vigor.  Young  BRYAN,  had  the  advantages  of  an  ex- 
cellent school,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  re- 
solved to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  new  world,  and  soon  after  set  sail 
for  America.  He  landed  in  New  York,  the  possessor  of  very  little 
of  this  world's  wealth,  and  after  a  few  days  spent  in  the  Metro- 
polis of  the  Western  hemisphere,  he  went  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  soon 
after,  he  entered  the  employment  of  Sennett  Barr  &  Co.,  iron 
workers  and  machinists,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years, 
mastering  his  business,  and  becoming  thoroughly  wedded  to  his 
profession.  Leaving  Erie,  he  entered  the  employment  of  Sidney 
Shepherd  &  Co.,  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  with  whom  he  remained 
one  year,  and  then  engaged  with  "  The  Buffalo  Steam  Engine 
Works,"  for  another  year.  In  the  winter  of  1855,  he  was  ten- 
dered, and  accepted  the  position  of  foreman  in  the  establishment 
of  Teesdell  &  Cole,  at  Conneautville,  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  re- 
maining here  one  year.  The  following  year  he  spent  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Sennett,  Barr  &  Co.,  at  Erie,  in  a  supervising  capacity.  In 
the  summer  of  1857,  he  entered  the  employment  of  Brown  Bros. 
&  Co.,  iron  manufacturers  and  machinists,  at  Warren,  Pa.,  and  re- 
mained with  them  until  May,  1858,  when  he  returned  to  Ireland 
upon  a  visit  to  his  relatives,  and  in  pursuit  of  health  and  relaxa- 
tion from  the  exacting  demands  of  his  profession. 

A  year  spent  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  found  him  recuperated  in 


.1011  N 


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JOHN   C.    BRYAN. 


JOHN  C.  BRYAN.  559 

the  outlook  was  not  inviting  or  encouraging.  Business  was  almost 
at  a  stand  still.  Oil  was  selling  at  one  and  two  dollars  per  barrel, 
and  even  less,  and  there  was  little  demand  for  it  at  these  prices. 
Money  was  scarce,  and  the  wants  of  oil  producers  in  the  iron  trade, 
next  to  nothing.  All  these  discouraging  surroundings  did  not 
frighten  or  appal  Mr.  BRYAN.  He  had  commenced  his  business 
in  Titusville  with  the  determination  to  work  out  his  financial  sal- 
vation, and  come  what  might  he  resolved  to  "stick."  The  estab- 
lishment employed  but  five  hands,  and  there  was  often  nothing  for 
these  to  do.  Business,  there  was  none — stagnation  was  visible 
everywhere,  and  often  Mr.  BRYAN  was  advised  by  friends  who 
seemed  impressed  with  the  idea  of  his  utter  destruction  in  a  business 
way,  to  "  pull  up  and  go  elsewhere."  He,  however,  listened  to 
none  of  these  "  croakers,"  but  redoubled  his  efforts  to  adapt  his 
manufactures  to  the  wants  of  all  classes  of  people.  When  the  de- 
mand for  drilling-tools  flagged,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
manufacture  of  plows,  scrapers,  or  whatever  else  would  be  required 
by  farmers,  contractors,  &c.,  &c.  When  the  plow  and  scraper 
market  was  overstocked,  saw-mill  irons,  gearing,  &c.,  were  turned 
out  in  fair  quantities  and  excellent  mechanical  attraction.  When 
nothing  else  offered,  he  applied  himself  to  the  construction  of  pat- 
terns for  a  new  steam  engine,  which  during  his  leisure  hours  he 
built  and  set  up  in  the  establishment,  anticipating  orders  for  more. 
In  this  he  was  not  disappointed.  From  this  time  onward  his  busi- 
ness rapidly  increased,  to  such  a  degree  that  in  the  summer  of  1864, 
thirteen  machines  were  required  (employing  over  thirty  men,)  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  oil  trade.  Prosperity,  thrift  and  the 
busy  hum  of  a  score  and  a-half  of  operatives,  greeted  him  upon 
every  side.  The  summer  of  '64  was  indeed  a  season  of  profit  to 
him,  due  alike  to  his  industry  and  determination  to  succeed  over 
all  obstacles. 

But  disappointment  and  disaster  lay  in  his  path.  The  earnings 
of  years  were  destined  to  become  the  sport  and  sacrifice  of  the  de- 
vouring element.  On  the  22d  of  November,  1864,  following  his 


560 


HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 


previous  months  of  prosperity,  a  destructive  fire  swept  away  his  all. 
The  foundry  and  machine  shops  were  in  ruins !  The  loss  was  not 
less  than  $42,000,  and  fell  entirely  upon  Mr.  BRYAN.  It  included 
his  all ! 

On  the  morning  succeeding  the  fire,  friends  gathered  about  him 
tendering  sympathy  and  assistance,  if  needed.  "What  are  you 
going  to  do,  John  ?"  said  one  to  him.  His  answer  was  character- 
istic of  the  man  and  his  indomitable  will.  "  What  am  I  going  to 
do  ?  I  shall  carry  on  the  Foundry  business  right  here :  I  am  not 
dead  yet !"  The  reply  was  an  order  for  clearing  away  the  debris, 
and  the  commencement  of  the  erection  of  new  buildings  of  ample 
proportions  and  greater  -adaptability  to  the  growing  demands  of 
his  extended  and  extending  business.  The  promptness  with  which 
his  determinations  were  set  in  motion  and  executed  may  be  com- 
prehended when  it  is  added,  that  early  in  March  following — a  little 
over  three  months  after  his  disaster — found  him  again  in  full  tide 
of  successful  operation,  with  greatly  increased  facilities  for  the  exe- 
cution of  any  and  all  orders  made  upon  him.  The  completion  of 
his  new  establishment  in  so  short  a  time  was  such  a  "  gilt-edged  " 
certificate  to  his  energy  and  perseverance  that  old  and  new  custom- 
ers flocked  to  him  from  all  quarters  of  the  oil  belts,  crowding  his 
manufactory  with  their  work,  and  his  counting-room  with  their 
orders.  Mrs.  McMuLLEN  still  retained  the  interest  owned  by  her 
husband  at  his  death. 

Mr.  BRYAN  was  again  upon  the  flood-tide  of  prosperity.  The 
works  gave  employment  to  forty  men,  testing  the  full  capacity  of 
the  machinery  in  use.  Prosperity  was  wafted  to  the  new  establish- 
ment upon  every  breeze.  The  mechanical  excellence  of  all  its 
work  was  known  of  all  men.  But  there  was  still  another  disaster 
in  store  for  the  proprietors.  On  the  17th  of  April,  1865,  the  rains 
descended,  and  the  floods  came,  carrying  destruction  and  devas- 
tation in  their  track.  The  oil  men  of  that  day  will  remember 
the  fearful  character  of  that  terrible  scourge.  It  was  the  most 
disastrous  blow  before  or  since  received  by  this  industrious  re- 


JOHN  C.  BRYAN.  56  1 

gion.     Everything — trade,  money,  product,  credit,  confidence  and 
effort  seemed  to  be  paralyzed,  or  entirely  swept  away. 

In  this  emergency,  the  ever-fertile  brain  of  Mr.  BRYAN  waa 
again  taxed  to  its  utmost  limit.  While  failures,  bankruptcy,  stag- 
nation, and  almost  a  total  destruction  of  values  were  upon  every 
hand,  he  bated  no  jot  or  tittle  of  his  energy  and  manly  perseve- 
rance. He  maintained  the  credit  of  his  establishment  through  all 
this  crisis  of  the  oil  region,  and  came  out  brighter  and  prouder,  so 
to  speak,  than  ever.  As  the  storm-clouds  cleared  away,  he  took 
careful  note  of  his  surroundings  and  found  a  clear  sky  and  an  open 
sea,  in  which  to  sail  his  sturdy  craft,  and  he  kept  her  from  the 
"  breakers." 

In  May,  1866,  following  the  reverses  of  the  previous  year,  he 
sold  a  one-third  interest  in  the  establishment  to  Capt.  John  Dil- 
lingham,  whose  accession  to  the  enterprise  proved  to  be  of  great 
value.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year — 1866 — Mr.  BRYAN 
added  to  the  increasing  business  of  the  establishment  a  commodious 
boiler-shop,  and  this,  contrary  to  the  judgment  of  Mr.  Dilling- 
ham,  whose  opinion  was,  that  it  would  require  more  capital  than 
they  could  command. 

The  manufacture  of  boilers  in  the  Oil  Region,  at  this  time,  was 
so  much  of  an  experiment,  and  its  success  so  doubtful,  that  the  firm 
not  only  furnished  all  the  machinery  and  stock,  but  they  contracted 
with  Mr.  Ackerman,  a  practical  boiler-maker,  to  give  him  one-half 
of  all  that  could  be  made  out  of  the  undertaking  for  one  year. 
The  business  was  so  limited  for  the  first  twelve  months,  that  the 
contractor  did  not  realize  day-wages.  Operators  preferred  to  go 
abroad  for  their  boilers,  regarding  those  of  home  manufacture  as 
unreliable.  The  firm,  however,  continued  the  manufacture  of 
boilers,  disposing  now  and  then  of  one  or  more,  so  that  at  the  end 
of  two  years,  their  character  was  substantially  established,  and  from 
that  day  to  this,  BRYAN,  DILLINGHAM  &  Co.'s  boilers  have  grown 
in  public  confidence,  and  are  now  regarded  as  second  to  none  manu- 
factured in  any  part  of  the  country. 
36 


562  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

In  1868,  a  brass-foundry  department  was  added  to  their  exten- 
sive works,  to  enable  them  to  supply  the  increasing  demands  for 
brass  boxes,  gibs,  and  every  kind  of  brass  fixtures  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  engines,  gas  pumps,  &c.,  &c.,  heretofore  dependent 
upon  remote  and  foreign  industries. 

We  have  thus  traced  the  personal  history  of  Mr.  BRYAN  from 
his  boyhood,  to  "point  a  moral  and  adorn  a  tale"  of  industry 
under  every  conceivable  discouragement,  and  a  deserved  success 
under  many  perplexing  embarrassments.  Few  men,  encountering 
the  seemingly  overwhelming  disasters  which  have  been  the  lot  of 
the  .subject  of  this  sketch,  would  have  proven  in  so  eminent  a  de- 
gree, superior  to  them  all.  The  instances  we  have  given  of  the 
business  calamities  falling  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  BRYAN,  are  not  in 
detail,  nor  are  they  elaborated  in  the  least.  The  reader  may,  with 
reflection,  form  a  faint  idea  of  the  character  of  a  business  man,  who 
can,  from  the  ruins  of  three  sweeping  losses,  in  six  years,  rise  to 
success  and  to  final  affluence.  The  great  iron  establishment 
of  BRYAN,  DILLINGHAM  &  Co.,  now  operating  under  the  auspices 
of  "  The  Titusmlle  Manufacturing  Company"  is  the  product  of  the 
indomitable  will  and  perseverance  of  JOHN  C.  BRYAN,  built  up  to 
success  under  disasters  that  would  have  disheartened  most  men. 
To-day  this  great  industry  ranks  second  to  none  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, involving  a  capital  of  $350,000,  and  giving  employment 
to  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  The  establishment  has 
built  over  300,000  barrels  of  tankage  in  the  oil  regions.  They 
turn  out  half  a  dozen  boilers  and  engines  a  week,  and  derrick  rigs, 
and  drilling  tools  without  number,  every  thirty  days.  To  these 
departments  must  be  added  their  brass  foundry,  manufacturing  all 
the  brass  work  for  their  own  needs,  and  immense  quantities  for 
the  wholesale  and  retail  trade  of  the  region.  Their  great  iron  tank 
transportation  works,  recently  put  into  successful  operation,  adds 
largely  to  their  importance  as  manufacturers,  and  is  a  guarantee 
of  the  bountiful  success  of  this  great  mart  of  industry  and  mechani- 
cal excellence. 


JOHN  C.  BRYAN.  f)63 

Within  the  past  year  and  a  half  the  establishment,  of  which  Mr. 
BRYAN  was  so  long  the  successful  head,  prepared  and  put  into 
successful  Uvse,  some  of  the  best  tapping  machines  in  the  United 
States.  These  are  necessary  to  meet  the  wants  of  refiners,  latterly 
a  growing  and  all-important  industry  for  Titusville  and  other  re- 
fining centres.  Indeed,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  this  estab- 
lishment is  capable  of,  and  really  does  a  larger  diversity  of  work 
for  oil  purposes,  than  any  other  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
success  of  this  great  industry,  as  we  have  before  said,  its  wealth 
and  world-wide  reputation  are  mainly  due  to  Mr.  BRYAN.  Titus- 
ville has  long  been  the  radiating  centre  for  our  heaviest  oil  opera- 
tions, and  it  is  safe  to  say,  the  wants  and  necessities  of  producers 
have  not  been  in  advance  of  'Mr.  BRYAN'S  ability  to  devise  and 
execute — and  to  his  genius  and  mechanical  skill  must  be  awarded 
much  of  the  perfection  now  apparent  in  the  manufacture  of  tools 
for  drilling,  pumping,  and  the  clearing  out  of  oil  wells,  and  indeed 
for  improvements  of  every  character  for  oil  well  uses. 

Titusville  is  a  city  of  enterprise  and  enterprising  business  men, 
and  Mr.  BRYAN,  from  the  date  of  his  residence  there,  may  be,  nay 
must  be,  regarded  as  among  the  foremost  in  all  improvements  of 
both  a  public  and  private  nature.  While  others,  in  the  struggle 
for  success,  have  fallen  by  the  way,  his  pertinacity  and  determina- 
tion to  surmount  all  obstacles  stands  out  in  bold  relief,  the  true 
index  to  his  character  as  a  man,  a  neighbor,  and  a  public  and  pri- 
vate citizen.  As  a  mechanic  he  has  few  equals.  This  fact  is  con- 
ceded by  all  who  know  him.  He  has  been  awarded  contracts  for 
building  some  large  refineries  and  tanks  in  New  York  city,  and  these 
have  been  executed  with  such  fidelity  and  satisfactory  results,  that 
others  of  like  nature  have  been  tendered  in  such  numbers,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  fill  them — and  this,  when  other  and  rival  estab- 
lishments proposed  to  do  the  same  work  at  lower  rates. 

These  details  of  the  growth  of  the  iron  interest  of  the  oil  regions, 
as  exemplified  in  the  sketch  of  Mr.  BRYAN'S  life,  have  been  given 
as  forming  an  important  part  of  the  history  of  the  vast  mineral 


564  HISTOEY   OF  PETROLEUM. 

wealth  of  this  section,  and  the  mechanical  means  adopted  for  its 
development.  Without  this  our  history  would  be  incomplete, — in 
the  language  of  another,  who  recently  sketched  the  personal  history 
of  Mr.  BRYAN  for  the  pages  of  the  "Petroleum  Monthly,"  "  We  of 
to-day  are  alone  interested  in  the  business  and  successes  of  to-day. 
Looking  back  ten  years,  we  can  scan  the  entire  history  of  Petroleum 
in  Western  Pennsylvania.  It  seems  but  yesterday,  that  Colonel 
Drake  opened  this  mine  of  wealth,  now  so  successfully  worked,  and 
whose  bounty  reaches  to  every  civilized  nation  .on  the  globe.  But 
in  the  future,  when  this  generation  has  passed  away,  the  men  who 
are  now  the  supporting  pillars  of  the  grand  edifice  of  commercial 
industry  and  prosperity  here  erected,  will  live  in  the  respectful 
memories  of  their  successors." 

Mr.  BRYAN'S  personal  characteristics  are  those  of  an  active,  un- 
tiring business  man,  wholly  given  to  his  profession,  and  thoroughly 
identified  with  all  its  details.  In  person  he  is  six  feet  in  height, 
and  when  in  robust  health,  the  picture  of  activity,  and  perseverance. 
He  is  clear-headed,  logical,  and  almost  invariably  correct  in  his 
mode  of  reasoning,  and  his  conclusions  upon  any  subject  he  has  in 
hand.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  City  Council  of  Titusville, 
and  occupied  from  first  to  last  a  prominence  in  that  body,  at  once 
honorable  and  commanding.  His  perceptions  are  quick  and  gener- 
ally accurate,  and  he  estimates  men,  not  from  their  wealth,  but 
upon  the  broader  basis  of  honor  and  honesty.  His  personal  friend- 
ships are  many  and  real.  He  is  known  and  appreciated  for  his 
business  probity,  and  for  fidelity  to  all  his  obligations,  public  or 
private.  For  a  few  months  past  he  has  been  in  delicate  health, 
and  has  necessarily  withdrawn  from  the  more  active  pursuits  of  a 
thus  far  busy  life. 


c.   A.  P.  R.  P.  Co..  Phila. 


GEO.    H.    DIMICK. 


I'  ••.:-. I  j'O.'U. 


!V>L!- 


Srs:,AV*jJ   •       .««•'•?     .[.v»i   t!v.    A.i •':}.• 
sa.^« ''"    v -4.^         •;••*<.    ji*  •:  ^:)    ft-..1*. 
JJiOH^:i'    =*  i:':!    .  ,»-^  w.. -.j:-> -vlis!"'".: 


GEORGE  H.  DIMICK.  565 


GEOEGE   H.  DIMICK. 

PETROLIA,   PA. 

MR.  DIMICK  is  a  western  man,  born  near  Kenosha,  Eacine 
County,  Wisconsin,  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1839.  He  is  the 
third,  of  a  family  of  five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  His 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  the  sons  were  reared  to  this  independent 
calling,  until  they  reached  years  of  maturity.  GEORGE  was  kept 
at  the  district  school  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old.  At  this  age  he 
was  sent  to  the  High  School  at  Kenosha,  Wis.,  for  a  few  terms, 
and  subsequently,  attended  the  High  School  at  Milwaukee  for  two 
years  and  a-half.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  taught  a  district 
school  in  his  native  town  for  a  single  term,  and  at  nineteen  was 
engaged  as  principal  of  one  of  the  Ward  Schools  of  the  city  of 
Milwaukee.  This  position  he  held  two  years,  or  until  the  spring 
of  1860. 

In  the  fall  of  1860,  he  came  into  the  oil  regions,  and  located  at 
Eouseville,  then  known  as  the  "Buchanan  Farm,"  and  subse- 
quently as  Cherry  Eun.  Not  long  after  his  arrival  at  Eouseville 
he  received  the  appointment  of  Superintendent  of  the  two  Buchanan 
farms — one  of  which  was  being  operated  under  a  lease  to  Eouse  & 
Mitchel,  and  the  other  by  Eouse,  Mitchel  &  Brown.  This  position 
he  held  about  one  year. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1861,  he  began  operations  upon  his 
own  account,  and  upon  the  two  Buchanan  farms.  At  this  date  the 
"spring  pole,"  water  and  horse  power,  were  alone  employed  in 
drilling  oil  wells,  and  the  "first  sand"  was  the  lowest  depth 
reached,  and  this  was  obtained  at  from  180  to  200  feet.  The 
first  well  drilled  upon  the  Archie  Buchanan  farm,  and  the  "  first 
sand"  was  struck  at  180  feet.  The  drilling,  which  required 
months  of  time,  was  accomplished  wholly  by  "  spring  pole  "  power. 


566  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

This  well  produced  from  twelve  to  fifteen  barrels,  and  was  owned 
by  Rouse,  Mitchel  &  Brown. 

Mr.  DIMICK'S  enterprises  were  measurably  successful  during  the 
summer  of  1861,  but  an  unlooked-for  affliction  came  upon  him, 
in  the  tragic  death,  by  burning,  an  account  of  which  is  given  else- 
where in  these  pages,  of  his  friend,  Henry  R.  Rouse,  which  changed 
for  the  time  at  least  the  current  of  his  ambition.  Allied  to  Mr. 
Rouse  by  ties  of  consanguinity,  and  from  his  business  connections, 
fully  acquainted  with  the  private  affairs  of  the  unfortunate  gentle- 
man, he  was  selected  to  settle  his  estate.  This  responsible  duty 
he  entered  upon  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1861,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  administrators,  named  by  the  deceased  just  prior 
to  his  death.  This  labor  required  some  months  of  his  time,  and 
while  in  its  performance  he  marked  out  his  future.  The  war 
for  the  Union,  was  at  this  time  assuming  colossal  proportions. 
Communities,  Towns,  Counties  and  States  were  rivaling  each 
other  in  arming  and  equipping  Companies,  Regiments  and  Bri- 
gades for  the  bloody  contest.  Mr.  DIMICK  soon  after  the  closing 
up  of  his  responsible  duties  to  his  dead  friend,  proceeded  to  New 
York  City,  and  there  enrolled  his  name  as  a  private  in  "  Scott's 
Nine  Hundred/5  afterwards  known,  as  the  "  First  Regiment  U. 
S.  Volunteer  Cavalry."  Col.  Thomas  A.  Scott,  since  so  widely 
known  as  the  Railway  King  of  this  continent,  was  mainly  in- 
strumental in  procuring  the  passage  of  a  law  authorizing  the  Regi- 
ment, and  when  it  was  ready  for  service,  was  named  in  honor  of 
him,  "  Scott's  Nine  Hundred/'  and  was  known  during  its  three 
years  active  duty  by  this  title. 

The  regiment  reached  Washington  in  the  early  spring  of  1862, 
and  was  detailed  for  special  duty,  acting  when  required,  as  escort  to 
President  Lincoln,  and  members  of  his  cabinet,  and  keeping  watch 
and  ward  over  the  federal  capitol. 

.  Mr.  DIMICK  entered  the  regiment  as  a  private,  and  was  at  its 
organization  elected  first  sergeant.  Subsequently  he  was  promoted 
to  First  Lieutenant  and  Quarter  Master,  and  then  to  a  Captaincy. 


GEORGE   H.  DIMICK.  569 

ary,  1867,  Mr.  D.,  shook  the  dust  of  Pit  Hole  from  his  feet,  his 
Bank  balances  were  far  from  flattering.  Like  hundreds  of  others, 
he  had  remained  quite  too  long,  and  when  he  came  to  gather 
up  his  resources,  their  value  was  easily  computed.  Indeed  the 
balances  were  largely  upon  the  wrong  side. 

In  the  spring  of  1867,  Mr.  D.,  found  himself  physically  reduced, 
and  he  resolved  upon  a  sea  voyage.  He  proceeded  to  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  and  took  passage  in  the  good  ship  "Maywood," 
bound  for  Cumberland  Inlet,  away  up  in  the  Arctic  regions. 
Without  giving  a  detailed  account  of  this  somewhat  remarkable 
trip,  to  these  far-office  bound- shores — and  it  was  full  of  incident 
— we  may  add  that  the  voyage  was  accomplished  in  about  fifteen 
months,  when  Mr.  D.,  returned  to  his  home  in  Wisconsin,  greatly 
improved  in  health.  Soon  after,  or  in  the  fall  of  1868,  he  again 
returned  to  the  oil  region,  locating  at  Pleasant ville.  He  remained 
here,  a  year  or  more,  operating  to  a  limited  extent  at  Hickory, 
Rouseville  and  Pleasantville,  buying  and  selling  lands,  leases,  in- 
terests, &c.  In  the  spring  of  1871,  he  removed  to  Parker's  Land- 
ing, and  became  a  partner  in  the  extensive  oil  well  supply  es- 
tablishment of  Messrs.  McKinney  &  Nesbitt,  then  representing  on 
the  one  hand  the  great  iron  manufactory  of  Gibbs,  Sterritt  &  Co., 
of  Titusville,  for  boilers,  and  engines,  drilling  tools,  &c.,  and  the 
Messrs.  Morris,  Tasker  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  with  the  National 
Tube  Works,  of  Boston,  and  the  Crescent  City  Tube  Works  of 
Pittsburgh,  upon  the  other,  for  casing,  tubing,  and  wrell  fixtures 
generally.  Eight  months  after  his  connection  with  this  firm,  Mr. 
DIMICK  purchased  the  interests  of  his  partners,  and  thence  for- 
ward, with  a  single  change,  that  of  DIMICK  &  McCoRMiCK — he 
conducted  the  constantly  growing  business,  with  success.  During 
his  year  and  a  half  control  of  this  branch  establishment  at  Parker's 
Landing,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  his  sales  and  receipts  amounted  to 
$500,000,  every  dollar  of  which  was  scrupulously  accounted  for 
and  paid  over. 

In  June,  1871,  Mr.  DIMICK  made  a  thorough  survey  of  the 


570  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

country  lying  five  to  seven  miles  south  and  west  of  Parker's  Land- 
ing, extending  his  observations  and  examinations  to  what  is  now 
known  as  Petrolia  City — between  Fairview  and  Argyle — in  Fair- 
view  Township,  Butler  County,  Pa.  Reaching  what  seemed  to  him 
to  be  a  natural  basin,  at  a  point  where  South  Bear  Creek  and 
Dougherty  Run  unite,  he  settled  into  the  conviction  that  "  this 
must  be  oil  territory."  Near  by,  and  upon  the  high  ground  over- 
looking this  basin,  a  large  number  of  men,  farmers  and  neighbors, 
were  engaged  in  raising  a  barn.  There  may  have  been  fifty  or 
sixty  of  them.  Mr.  DIMICK,  had  previously  met  one  of  them 
and  had  "  interviewed  him,"  as  to  the  possibility  of  the  vicinity 
being  oil  territory,  and  he  was  not  long  in  interviewing  others  at 
the  "  raising."  Subsequently  he  offered  to  drill  a  well  somewhere 
in  this  basin,  provided  the  owners  of  the  land  would  give  him 
leases  of  portions  of  their  farms,  sufficient  to  warrant  the  under- 
taking. Terms  were  finally  agreed  upon,  and  before  Mr.  DIMICK 
left  the  "  raising  party,"  he  had  obtained  leases  upon  five  farms 
in  the  immediate  vicinity,  for  himself  and  partners.  He  took  a 
lease  of  twenty-nine  acres  of  the  Blaney  farm — sixteen  acres  of  the 
Jameson  farm,  and  ten  acres  of  the  W.  A.  Wilson  farm — all  which 
covered  or  were  located  in  the  basin  before  referred  to.  He  also 
obtained  a  ten  acre  lease  on  the  Graham  farm,  west  of  Argyle,  and 
another  of  ten  acres  upon  the  James  Wilson  farm,  south  of  the 
Blaney  farm,  about  seventy-five  acres  in  all,  and  all  $k  one-eighth 
royalty.  We  have  been  thus  particular  in  our  detail  of  this 
transaction,  because  it  illustrates  better  than  we  can  express  or  ex- 
plain it,  the  mode  and  manner  of  "  Wild  Catting  "  as  it  is  termed, 
for  new  developments.  The  first  well  drilled  upon  this  property, 
was  located  upon  the  line  dividing  the  Jameson  and  Blaney  farms. 
It  was  arranged  that  the  one-eighth  royalty,  should  be  equally 
divided  between  the  owners  of  the  land,  each  receiving  one-six- 
teenth. This  well  was  completed  on  the  17th  of  April,  1872,  and' 
started  off  at  100  barrels  per  day !  When  these  leases  were  se- 
cured, there  were  no  developments  within  four  miles  of  Petrolia 


GEORGE  H.  DIMICK.  571 

or  Argyle.  Other  parties,  at  a  later  day  obtained  leases,  a  mile  or 
more  below  Mr.  DIMICK,  and  were  a  day  or  two  in  advance  of 
him  in  getting  their  wells  down,  but  the  "  pioneering "  about 
Petrolia,  we  think  belongs  to  Mr.  DIMICK,  and  the  firm  of  which 
he  \tas  a  member,  and  which  was  formed  after  the  first  well  was 
commenced,  (DiMiCK,  NESBITT  &  Co.)  The  developments  just 
mentioned,  were  the  signals  for  emigration  to  the  new  Oil-dorado. 
"Petrolia  City/'  became  a  famous  oil  centre.  Its  growth  was 
rapid,  and  in  many  respects  substantial.  The  first  wells  in  the 
vicinity  were  struck  in  April,  and  before  the  close  of  the  following 
month,  May,  the  moving  mass  began  to  arrive,  and  by  July,  a 
city  with  metropolitan  pretensions  and  cosmopolitan  make  up, 
sprang  iuto  existence.  Early  in  1872,  a  borough  charter  was  ob- 
tained, and  in  February  following,  an  election  of  borough  officers 
took  place.  Mr.  DIMICK  was  named  by  the  respectable  portion  of 
the  community  for  Burgess.  The  "roughs"  and  "slums"  of  the 
oil  region,  named  one  of  their  own  number  as  an  opposing  candi- 
date. When  the  election  came  on,  many  of  the  best  citizens  of 
Petrolia,  feared  the  "  roughs  "  might  succeed  with  their  infamous 
representative,  who  all  day  long  possessed  the  polls,  desiring,  if  they 
did  not  do  so,  to  "  vote  early  and  often."  When  the  vote  was  can- 
vassed, it  was  found  that  Mr.  DIMICK  had  been  elected  by  a  large 
majority — the  slums  and  "  riff-raff/'  being  able  to  muster  less  than 
one  fifth  of  Jhe  whole  number  cast.  At  the  regular  election,  which 
followed  late  in  March,  Mr.  DIMICK  was  unanimously  nominated 
and  re-elected  without  a  dissenting  vote.  This  is  a  compliment 
rarely  paid  to  officials  of  this  character,  but  we  doubt  not,  Mr.  D., 
merited  this  endorsement  and  compliment,  at  the  hands  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens, for  upon  all  hands  he  is  denominated  a  faithful,  vigi- 
lant public  officer. 

Mr.  DIMICK'S  career,  as  a  successful  producer,  may  date  from  his 
Petrolia  City  investments  and  developments.  He  has,  of  his  own, 
and  in  connection  with  Mr.  Nesbitt,  many  other  oil  interests,  and 
tracts  of  oil  territory,  in  process  of  development,  or  soon  to  be  put 


572  HISTOKY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

to  the  drill.  These  properties  are  located  in  different  portions  of 
the  Parker  oil  field,  at  St.  Petersburg,  Slippery  Rock,  and  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  wonderful  developments  in  and  about 
Greece  City. 

Personally,  Mr.  DIMICK  is  a  gentleman  of  active  temperament, 
excellent  executive  ability,  and  sturdy  industry.  He  has  dignity 
of  character,  and  yet  ample  social  characteristics  to  relieve  him  of 
a  seeming  stiffness  of  manner.  He  is  a  man  of  quick  perceptions, 
and  superior  business  qualifications.  Reliable  in  all  his  relations, 
a  man  of  integrity  and  private  worth,  he  adorns  alike  the  private 
circles  of  life,  and  is  amply  qualified  for  the  sterner  conflicts  of  a 
public  career.  As  Burgess  of  Petrolia  City,  he  is  deservedly  popu- 
lar with  all  classes,  and  he  discharges  his  varied  duties  with  a  clear 
conception  of  his  responsibilities,  without  fear  or  favor.  He  is  at 
present  upon  the  high  road  to  deserved  success,  and  this  will  assu- 
redly be  his  future ;  for  to  a  commendable  perseverance,  he  adds 
an  industry  and  a  will,  always  sure  to  overcome  obstacles  and 
whatever  of  embarrassment  that  may  stand  in  the  way. 


Woodburytype.   A.  P.  R.  P.  Co.,  Phils 


GEQ.    H.   NESBITT. 


»f  il    1:1--     i!1       -f  •• 

.vlier      a:      fe. 


'   .  .. 


•iis  ent'-n      •.:•  vs;    ••wduiif-.-J  \vlth  «s;j«  •,-.->,  ^a.-!*  ^ 
\vh.-i-j  >f-     S'.BP^;;rf  •'I^pswyf  of  hi?  mu*r*5t,  ^f^i 
ihto  *h  "  v  ;..-,in^'i*.  -;f  shipping  oil  to  P^sfciJ'..'ht  Ht^ 
t!»ato    •  ;:•  barori-*s,  fiat-  boats,  <tc.      Wtir^s  t)  #•  \vnt« 
his  ux.^apjututt  was  goae_,  and  duriu-  tiie 


GEORGE   H.   NESBITT.  573 


GEOEGE  H.  NESBITT. 

PETROLIA,   PA. 

MR.  NESBITT  is  a  native  of  Erie  Co.,  Perm.,  born  in  Washing- 
ton township,  on  the  21st  day  of  July,  1847.  His  father  was,  and 
is  at  this  date,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  residing  upon  the  same  farm 
upon  which  he  settled  many  years  ago.  GEORGE  is  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  In  his 
earlier  years,  he  had  the  advantages  of  a  good  common-school  edu- 
cation, acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  common  branches, 
and  was  known  and  acknowledged,  before  he  attained  the  age  of 
twelve  years,'  as  a  bright,  if  not  a  brilliant  scholar.  He  early 
became  impressed  with  the  idea  of  self-reliance  in  the  battle  of  life; 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  left  his  father's  house,  resolved  to  work 
out  his  own  success.  He  made  his  way  to  the  Oil  Eegions,  reach- 
ing Titusville  late  in  the  fall  of  1862.  Here  he  soon  after  entered 
the  employ  of  BTJRTIS  BROS.,  oil-refiners,  intending  to  learn  the 
business.  He  continued  in  this  position  a  few  months,  when,  in 
consequence  of  a  general  stagnation  of  the  trade,  induced  by  the 
beggarly  prices  of  oil,  the  refinery  closed,  and  GEORGE  was  thrown 
out  of  employment.  The  following  spring,  1863,  he  engaged  with 
DENSMORE  Bros.,  extensive  and  successful  operators  on  the  Tarr 
and  Funk  farms.  Here  he  remained  into  the  summer  of  1863. 
During  1863,  in  connection  with  his  brother-in-law,  "W.  H. 
DOUGHERTY,  he  built  a  refinery  at  Bull  Run,  Shaffer  farm,  and 
this  enterprise  was  continued  with  success  until  the  spring  of  1864, 
when  Mr.  NESBITT  disposed  of  his  interest,  and  soon  after  entered 
into  the  business  of  shipping  oil  to  Pittsburgh,  and  points  interme- 
diate, by  barges,  flat-boats,  &c.  When  the  waters  had  subsided, 
his  occupation  was  gone;  and  during  the  remainder  of  that  year, 


574  HISTORY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

he  turned  his  attention  to  real  estate  operations.  He  dealt  success- 
fully in  property  of  this  character,  buying  and  selling  oil  leases,  oil 
well  interests,  oil  lands,  <fec. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  then  scarcely  eighteen  years  old,  he  began 
to  operate  upon  his  own  account,  and  drilled  wells  on  lower  Ben- 
ninghoff  Run,  and  upon  the  Dempsey  and  adjoining  farms  on 
Cherry  Tree  Run.  These  enterprises  were,  taken  as  a  whole,  only 
partially  successful ;  but  Mr.  N.  was  enabled  to  pay  all  his  indebt- 
edness, dollar  for  dollar,  and  keep  his  balances  upon  the  right  side. 
While  these  several  wells  were  being  put  down,  "  the  Pit  Hole 
glory  "  came  upon  the  region,  and  startled  everybody.  Mr.  NES- 
BITT  was  among  the  first  to  reach  the  new  developments,  and 
secure  leases.  He  leased,  and  during  1865,  put  down,  or  was 
interested  in,  wells  upon  the  Holmden,  Rooker,  Hyner,  Ball,  Mc- 
Kinney  and  Morey  farms.  In  conjunction  with  his  oil  operations, 
he  entered  into  real  estate  speculations,  dealing  in  le^ling,  interests, 
&c.,  and  occasionally  erecting  buildings,  and  leasing  or  disposing 
of  them  at  fabulous  prices  to  the  daily  augmenting  population  of 
Pit  Hole  City.  It  is  safe  to  say,  his  two  years'  residence,  at  Pit 
Hole  were  marked  by  as  many  changes  of  fortune  as  commonly 
fall  to  the  lot  of  men  of  his  years  and  experience.  There  were 
days  and  months  that  his  profits  and  prosperity  and  rapid  accumu- 
lations of  wealth  were  simply  wonderful.  He  counted  his  gains 
by  the  tens  of  thousands.  But  when  in  1867,  Pit  Hole  "gave  out," 
and  its  glory  departed,  he  found  himself,  like  hundreds  of  others, 
able  to  get  away  with  only  a  fraction  of  his  earlier  acquisitions. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1866,  and  while  endeavoring  to  dis- 
pose of  his  Pit  Hole  interests,  he  received  the  appointment  of  As- 
sistant Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue — his  district  comprising  Plea- 
santville  and  its  vicinity — and  this  was  his  residence  and  head- 
quarters during  1866.  In  the  spring  of  1867,  he  returned  to  "  the 
Creek,"  locating  at  Pioneer.  Here  he  operated  extensively,  on  the 
Benninghoif,  Upper  McElhenny,  and  Foster  Farms,  and  with  con- 
siderable success.  The  low  price  of  oil  during  the  summer  of 


GEORGE   H.    NESBITT.  577 

Dimick,  who  prospected  the  new  territory,  obtained  a  large  lease, 
including  parts  of  the  Blaney,  Jameson,  W.  A.  Wilson,  James 
Wilson,  and  Graham  Farms,  four  or  five  miles  in  advance  of  other 
developments,  and  upon  the  site  of  what  is  now  known  as  Petrolia 
City.  Their  first  well  at  this  point  was  completed  about  the  middle 
of  April,  1872,  and  flowed  from  the  start  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  barrels  per  day  ! 

Soon  after  this  first  well  was  down,  Messrs.  Dimick  &  Nesbitt, 
and  Mr.  William  Lardin,  the  contractor  for  drilling  their  first  well, 
purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  McKinney  in  the  property,  and  Mr. 
L.  has  since  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Dimick,  Nesbitt  &  Co. 
The  new  proprietors  of  this  very  valuable  property  continued 
their  active  operations,  and  before  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1872, 
it  had  been  thoroughly  gone  over  and  tested.  The  history,  in  brief, 
of  its  development  is  a  most  remarkable  one,  and  is  beyond  ques- 
tion without  parallel  in  the  Parker  District. 

Let  us  take  "  the  first  six "  of  these  wells  put  down  upon  this 
territory,  in  proof  of  our  assertion  : 

No.  1,  flowed  and  pumped  from  the  start  over  one  hundred  bar- 
rels per  day !  No.  2,  about  eighty  barrels  per  day.  No.  3,  over 
one  hundred  and  eighty  barrels  per  day.  No.  4,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  barrels  per  day.  No.  5,  one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  per 
day,  and  No.  6,  tanked  two  hundred  and  twenty  barrels  per  day. 
It  is  questionable  if  the  entire  oil  region,  in  later  years,  will  afford 
an  instance  of  such  wonderful  product,  and  in  such  rapid  succes- 
sion, at  this  date,  April,  1873.  There  are  fourteen  wells  upon  this 
lease,  one  of  which  has  been  pouring  forth  its  golden  stream  for 
quite  twelve  months,  and  the  majority  of  the  remaining  thirteen  have 
been  producing  largely  for  months  past,  and  bid  fair  to  hold  out 
for  months  to  come. 

Mr.  NESBPTT  has  no  business,  or  financial  connections  other  than 
we  have  mentioned,  if  we  except  one,  he  holds  in  "  The  Parker's 
Savings  Bank."  He  is  a  Director  in  this  institution,  and  has  been 
so  honored  for  two  years  past. 

37 


578  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

GEORGE  H.  NESBITT  is  yet  a  young  man,  but  he  has  left  an 
impress  upon  the  history  of  petroleum  developments  in  Western 
Pennsylvania,  which  may  well  be  his  pride  and  boast.  Without 
capital  or  influential  friends,  he  made  his  way  into  the  oil  region, 
when  a  mere  lad,  and  by  his  industry,  frugality  and  fidelity  to 
every  trust  confided  to  him,  has  hewn  his  w^ay  to  prominence  and 
prosperity.  He  is  to-day  the  possessor  of  a  handsome  competency, 
accumulated  in  the  earnest  and  honest  discharge  of  all  his  obliga- 
tions. No  man  can  say  truthfully  that  GEORGE  H.  NESBITT  has 
knowingly  wronged  or  designedly  over-reached  him. 
.  Personally,  Mr.  NESBITT  is  a  gentleman  of  modest  and  retiring 
manners.  He  never  obtrudes  himself  or  his  opinions  upon  any. 
He  is,  nevertheless,  a  man  of  convictions,  and  does  not  hesitate  in 
the  avowal  of  them  whenever  and  wherever  occasion  requires  it. 
In  business  circles,  he  stands  the  test  of  ability,  capacity,  and  un- 
questioned honor  and  honesty.  He  is  a  man  of  irreproachable 
private  worth,  and  unblemished  integrity,  and  such  a  man  must 
achieve,  as  he  deserves,  success  in  all  his  business  transactions. 


ie.  A.  P.  R. }'.  Co.,  V 


WILLIAM    D.   ROBINSON 


Wl.f.i.l  v\| 


.'•o\-  iuii'-.ng    in-   early  .v.-ttlc-K  ,/ 

Per  ^  'IWr,.:-.?:^..   >.    ,!,.  Coiiivy  of   Anns-mni",  lVim:1<<  hi:'  £iih«.'r 
h.mig  f"mc   "•:*  i'::;.:*/-   ami   to-.i-L.-          ,,,v   i<-,.OW]i   ...;  rnrk-rV 

,i.;U^    'jiurn-.7    ;ai-£.-ly  inio  tiio 
'  ';lr  '  oi:  *    *^|s       -  ;in<  •><•  - 


;f     i,,;,  o 


'*•• 


';a  v-rniti  . 
•  M 


/uUAVT    D.    F^Oi«I\-Sf>N, 

ii-  ..if  »:r   sit-;.!-  tht   ,'i'f^nt 
-wy  <.>»'  G-  lulH  r,  ISl'O. 


t.      .He  w;j--  schooled  unfiJ 
a  ilu-\na<..':  knowledge  of 

'*.M8  3vlJ-»M'Ii  J3J5.  il  fiv?st-cl;lSS 


i  «    ty.C:j)t;  .--;  \\    yv^ir    Uo   Sought    Sii.d  <>l>ta51;f'd  ii 

,  Vf?»»ng-t.!  coimty,  Pa..  T!iis.pc^:ttL*ri. 
-MEit  ^  yr-ar,    \v  ho«    l)e   wjy   temlered   a   like   re^ponsili?(! 

>  I  >oii(l.     H-:MV  ]jo  remained 

»•,   r^uhiuJfy   aisc'iiarginp;   his  daiki8>  challeDging  and  re- 
^  onfidonce  ?iiid  >-MU"'irn    /iir-  o 


n^  goo<ls;  '.rf'-v 


. 


WILLIAM   D.    ROBINSON.  579 


WILLIAM  D.  ROBINSON. 

KITTANXING,    PA. 

ME.  ROBINSON'S  ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Perry  Township,  in  the  County  of  Armstrong,  Penna.,  his  father 
having  removed  thither,  and  to  what  is  now  known  as  Parker's 
Landing,  in  1810,  where  he  soon  after  entered  largely  into  the 
manufacture  of  leather,  erecting  a  tannery,  and  necessary  buildings 
for  this  purpose. 

The  subject  of  the  following  sketch,  WILLIAM  D.  ROBINSON, 
was  born  in  this  new  home  in  the  wilderness,  near  the  present 
borough  of  Parker's  Landing,  on  the  2d  day  of  October,  1820. 
He  was  the  eldest  of  nine  children — seven  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Schools  were  not  as  plentiful  as  now,  in  this  new  Petroleum 
field,  but  such  as  they  were,  young  ROBINSON  enjoyed  and  im- 
proved, as  soon  as  his  age  would  permit.  He  was  schooled  until 
he  was  twenty.  Meantime,  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  business  his  father  carried  on.  He  was  known  as.  a  first-class 
tanner  and  currier,  and  followed  this  calling  until  he  had  nearly 
reached  his  majority — attending  school  winters,  and  assisting  his 
father  from  seven  to  eight  months  of  each  year. 

When  he  was  in  his  twentieth  year  he  sought  and  obtained  a 
clerkship  in  Shippen's  Furnace,  Venango  county,  Pa.  This-  position 
he  held  about  a  year,  when  he  was  tendered  a  like  responsible 
place  in  an  iron  manufactory  at  Brady's  Bend.  Here  he  remained 
three  years,  faithfully  discharging  his  duties,  challenging  and  re- 
ceiving the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  employers. 

In  1843,  he  embarked  in  business  for  himself,  opening  a  country 
store  at  Parker's  Landing,  for  the  sale  of  dry  goods,  groceries, 


5 SO  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

crockery,  hardware,  etc.,  etc.  This  enterprise  he  continued  for 
nearly  twenty-six  years,  establishing  a  character  for  uprightness 
and  honorable  dealing  never  questioned.  He  retired  from  mer- 
cantile pursuits  in  1869;  having  acquired  a  competency,  accelerated 
doubtless,  by  his  successes  in  developing  and  producing  petroleum 
oil. 

In  the  winter  of  1864,— 5,  the  oil  excitements  of  the.  upper  and 
lower  Oil  Creek  region  were  at  their  height,  and  Mr.  ROBINSOX 
very  earnestly  conceived  the  idea,  that  oil  deposits  existed  in  the 
region  of  his.  third  of  a  century's  residence.  He  had  examined  and 
carefully  -noted  the  then  generally  received  opinion  of  "  surface  in- 
dications," and  soon  reached  the  conviction  that  oil  could  be  found 
there.  He  purchased  thirty-six  acres  of  the  old  Homestead  farm, 
lying  on  the  Allegany  River,  and  now  forming  a  portion  of  Park- 
er's Landing.  This  'thirty-six  acres  of  land  he  made  the  basis  of  a 
stock  company,  called  "  The  Clarion  and  Allegany  River  Oil  Com- 
pany," with  a  capital  of  $100,000. 

The  stock  was  all  subscribed — mainly  by  Philadelphia  capitalists, 
who  knew  Mr.  ROBINSON  as  a  truthful,  honest  man — and  upon 
the  organization  of  the  company  Mr.  R.  was  made  the  Superinten- 
dent, and  assumed  charge  of  the  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  he  commenced  his  first  well,  under  the 
auspices  of  this  company,  and  this  was  the  first  oil  well  drilled  at 
Parker's  Landing.  The  embarrassments  attending  this  first  effort 
to  find  oil  at  Parker's  Landing,  may  be  estimated  by  those  familiar 
with  new  territory.  .All  the  machinery  for  tile  well  had  to  be 
boated  from  Pittsburgh  and  Oil  City ;  and  there  was  neither  der- 
rick nor  development  between  these  two  points.  Fifty  and  sixty 
miles  from  a  machine  shop,  if  a  break  occurred,  Pittsburgh,  or 
Oil  City,  or  Titusville,  were  the  nearest  points  for  repairs.  It  re- 
quired the  entire  summer  of  1865 — nearly  six  months — to  com- 
plete this  well.  In  October,  1865,  the  sand-pump  brought  up  the 
unmistakable  evidences  of  a  "  third  sand/'  or  oil  rock.  The  well 
was  tubed,  and  started  off  at  about  ten  barrels  per  day.  It  averaged 


A  V!  .:.:,S  -c     MrCTUY 

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ikrs  a  dav,  a-?(l  vet 


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tless,  fiurj.;  ';  .;.- 


N;ivrzub.:r  h>,  1824,  about  a  n^ile  belovv  'I  '-usville, 
kwovni  a,-;  Wftt^.-n'  •  F;aw.  Her-?,  fill  L,s  f:-Hicr 

--rn'near  Uvi  Ai^xjir-  --.jevenil  y-  are  ofhisoljil^hood 
>^  m*ft;*rr..?  .rirj^ii^i'  in  that  day  <'.wi-'3  i^V'.I.-ite 
r;t  ^s  MVSU-^  rtt  tht1  W  gchool-h-nsos,  Iiorcs.  ,mfi 

«l  tor  tl'tf  «anHo;li.tei:auint  of  countn'  y<mt?,    ^'  rin^ 


Woofihurytype.   A.  P.  R.P.  Co..  Phila. 


JAS.    S.   McCRAY. 


JAMES  S.  McCRAY.  585 

07i  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  operators  were  crowding  to  obtain  them 
on  any  terms  at  all; 

He,  however,  fixed  a  uniform  price  of  one  thousand  dollars  per 
acre  bonus,  and  one-half  the  oil.  Even  at  these  unusual  figures  there 
were  plenty  of  experienced  operators,  ready  to  take  leases.  He  also 
began  to  operate  himself  on  a  large  scale,  and  so  remunerative  was 
the  territory  that  in  the  whole  Oil  Region  of  Pennsylvania  there 
is  probably  not  to-day  another  piece  of  land  equal  in  size,  on  which 
are  to  be  seen  standing  so  great  a  number  of  derricks.  So  suc- 
cessful were  the  operations,  and  so  rapid  the  increase  in  production, 
that  six  months  after  Keifer  &  Watson's  strike — in  October,  1870, 
the  McCray  farm  piped  twenty-seven  hundred  and  thirty  barrels 
of  oil  daily,  about  seventeen  hundred  of  which  were  his  own,  yield- 
ing for  a  time,  perhaps  the  largest  revenue  ever  received  by  a  single 
firm  from  the  production  of  petroleum. 

But  when  the  magic  smile  of  fortune  had  turned  the  rugged 
hill,  over  which  they  had  toiled  in  the  hopeful  days  of  their  younger 
life,  following  their  quiet  herds,  dreaming  only  of  a  competency 
that  would  enable  them  to  spend  the  evening  of  their  lives  in  re- 
pose and  plenty  ;  happy  because  industrious,  honest  and  thrifty ; 
ambitious  only  to  give  their  children  a  better  chance  in  life  than 
their's  had  been ;  when  fortune  surrounded  them  with  gold  for 
the  realization  of  their  wildest  dreams,  the  hand  of  death  stole  in 
upon  the  glittering  scene,  and  with  one  rude  crash  shattered  their 
fondest  hopes.  The  eldest  of  their  three  children,  a  beautiful 
daughter  just  merging  into  womanhood,  died,  bowing  their  hearts 
in  a  grief  that  riches  can  never  heal. 

MR.  McCRAY  is  in  middle  life,  blessed  with  a  vigorous,  robust 
constitution,  and  as  a  sequence,  enjoys  most  excellent  health.  He 
is  a  man  of  active  temperament,  thoroughly  devoted  to  his  business 
concerns, — and  these  he  manages  with  an  ability  seldom  witnessed 
in  men  of  his  educational  advantages  and  experience.  Latterly  he 
has  come  to  regard  all  enterprises,  bidding  for  his  approval  and 
capital,  with  great  caution,  and  is  therefore  not  likely  to  become 


586  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

the  dupe  of  sharpers,  or  the  prey  of  speculators  upon  his  bounty 
or  generosity. 

The  product  of  the  McCRAY  farm  from  the  commencement  of 
operations  in  1871,  to  July,  1873,  must  reach,  if  it  does  not  exceed, 
500,000  barrels  of  oil — one-half  of  which  has  been  turned  over  to 
Mr.  McCRAY.  Nearly  150,000  barrels  of  this  is  now  held  in  iron 
tanks  by  him  for  better  prices. 

A  year  or  more  since,  Mr.  McCRAY  purchased  the  elegant  pri- 
vate residence  of  Mr.  BROUGH,  at  Franklin,  Venango  Co.,  Pa.,  and 
soon  after  removed  thither,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  that  beautiful 
city.  Here  he  is  honored  and  respected  for  his  integrity  as  a  man, 
his  enterprise  as  a  citizen,  and  his  worth,  honor  and  honesty  as  a 
neighbor  and  friend. 


CITIES   AND   TOWNS.  587 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 


THE  OIL  REGION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

WITH  the  progress  of  Oil  developments,  cities  and  towns,  with 
teeming  inhabitants,  arise.  A  great  number  of  these  remain  to 
mark  the  industry  and  the  fortunes  of  the  business.  We  have 
only  to  point  to  Titusville,  Oil  City,  Franklin,  Parker  City, 
Tidioute,  and  others  of  less  importance,  to  prove  that  notwith- 
standing the  hazardous  character  of  the  oil  business  at  these  points, 
it  has  built  up  for  itself  very  many  enduring  monuments. 

In  the  following  pages  we  shall  endeavor  to  describe  the  cities 
and  towns  of  the  Oil  Region  as  they  now  stand.  The  reader  should 
not  entertain  too  exalted  an  idea  of  many  of  these  "cities."  They 
spring  up  as  if  from  the  touch  of  the  magician's  wand — are  swept 
away  by  fire,  or  disappear,  only  to  re-appear  miles  in  advance  of 
their  last  location.  They  are  portable  and  ported.  The  owners 
of  the  buildings  migrate  with  the  greatest  unconcern%  The  struc- 
tures that  shelter  them  to-night,  may  to-morrow,  do  a  similar 
service  miles  in  advance,  at  the  scene  of  some  new  strike. 

From  the  year  succeeding  Col.  DRAKE'S  initial  venture,  the 
striking  of  a  good  well  has  time  and  again  throughout  the  Oil  Re- 
gion resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a  flourishing  town,  with  a  ce- 
lerity truly  marvellous.  Who  is  not  familiar  with  the  unpoetic 
name  and  eventful  history  of  Pit  Hole — the  civic  wonder  of  the 
century?  Well  might  foreigners,  accustomed  only  to  the  slow  ad- 
vance of  national  progress,  exhibit  astonishment  at  the  story  of  this 
remarkable  creation  of  the  feverish  times,  Avhen  a  few  brief  weeks 


588  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

served  to  accomplish  the  work  of  years,  and  hundreds  of  anxious 
men,  in  three  short  months,  crowded  into  their  lives  the  multiform 
experiences  of  a  decade.  Never  before  had  mankind  beheld  a 
nearer  realization  of  some  imaginative  tale  of  the  Arabian  Nights  — 
nor  is  the  world  likely  soon  again  to  witness  an  ascent  and  a  tumble 
so  bewildering  as  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  once  famous  Pit  Hole 
city,  located  in  the  north-east  corner  of  Cornplanter  township. 
But  Pit  Hole,  and  others  of  minor  note  in  the  upper  district,  have 
disappeared, — and  he  who  would  see  thoroughly,  representative 
u  oil  towns,"  must  perforce  visit  the  oily  realms  of  Butler  County, 
and  interview  the  new  oil  "  cities,"  springing  up  there. 


TITUSVILLE,  CRAWFORD  COUNTY,  PA. 

LET  us  begin  our  review,  or  description  of  the  chief  Cities  and 
Towns  in  the  upper  oil  fields,  with  TITUSVILLE,  located  as  it  is, 
upon  the  extreme  north-eastern  boundary  of  the  oil  producing  re- 
gion, near  the  head-waters  of  Oil  Creek,  in  the  north-eastern  cor- 
ner of  Crawford  County.  TITUSVILLE  became  a  point  of  import- 
ance, upon  the  successful  completion  of  Col.  DRAKE'S  well,  in 
1859, — though  the  Borough  was  incorporated  in  1847.  At  that 
date — 1847, — the  settlement,  contained  less  than  200  inhabitants. 
JOSEPH  L.  CHASE,  was  the  first  Burgess  of  TITUSVILLE,  under  a 
special  law  of  the  State,  creating  it  an  incorporation.  WILLIAM 
BARNSDALL,  S.  S.  BATES,  J.  K.  KERR,  and  G.  C.  PETTIS,  com- 
posed the  first  Council,  under  this  enactment.  In  1861,  the  Bo- 
rough was  re-organized  under  the  general' act  of  1834,  retaining  as 
its  corporate  government,  a  Burgess,  six  Councilmen,  six  School 
Directors,  and  other  officers  required  by  its  Charter.  Year  by 
year,  since  1861,  the  city  has  grown  in  population  and  wealth, — 
and  in  1867,  a  City  Charter  was  secured,  with  a  Mayor,  Common 
Council,  uniformed  Police,  School  Board,  <fec.,  &c. 


CITIES   AND   TOWNS.  589 

The  population  of  TITUS VILLE,  by  the  census  of  1870,  was  a 
little  short  of  10,000.  Its  steady  growth  since,  warrants  an  esti- 
mate of  the  population  now,  at  12,000.  The  city  presents  an  at- 
tractive and  solid  appearance.  The  business  streets  are  adorned 
with  handsome  stores,  mostly  brick  structures,  and  the  thorough- 
fares are  well  lighted,  and  are  kept  in  good  repair.  During  the 
past  year — since  July,  1872 — more  than  a  mile  of  wooden  pave- 
ment has  been  laid  in  the*  principal  business  avenues — SPRING, 
DIAMOND,  FRANKLIN,  PINE,  and  WASHINGTON  Streets* — an  im- 
provement greatly  needed,  and  rendering  these  thoroughfares  at 
once  attractive  and  substantial.  Many  splendid  private  mansions 
have  been  erected  during  the  past  two  or  three  years,  both  elegant 
in  style  and  elaborate  in  finish.  The  city  has  besides  scores  and 
scores  of  beautiful  residences.  The  principle  streets  are  wide,  and 
handsomely  graded.  The  city  is  lighted  with  gas.  It  has  some 
ten  or  twelve  churches,  representing  almost  every  profession  of 
Christianity.  It  has  four  public  schools — one  in  each  of  the  four 
Wards  of  the  city, — two  of  these  school  edifices  being  large  and 
substantial  brick  structures,  that  have  cost  not  less  than  $50,000 
each.  It  has  a  public  park,  which  is  beautified  yearly  by  an  ex- 
penditure of  $2,000  to  $5,000.  Its  city  sewerage  is  nearly  com- 
plete, and  the  new  "  Holly  Water  Works "  will  be  finished  this 
year. 

The  city  has  six  banking  establishments,  all  upon  solid 'basis — a 
Board  of  Trade — "Oil  Exchange" — two  daily  newspapers — The 
Herald  and  The  Courier,  the  former  the  Kepublican,  the  latter  the 
Democratic  organ— and  one  weekly,  The  Sunday  Morning  Press— 
"  independent,  but  not  neutral."  It  has  among  its  many  indus- 
tries, two  large  Iron  establishments,  employing  hundreds  of  men  in 
the  manufacture  of  engines  and  boilers,  oil  well  tools  and  ma- 
chinery, car  .tanks,  oil  tanks  of  immense  size  and  capacity,  &c.,  &c. 
These  are  "THE  GIBBS  &  STERRITT  MANUFACTURING  COM- 

*  The  principal  portion  of  this  wood  pavement  is  the  product  of  local  enterprise, 
Col.  E.  A.  L.  ROBERTS  being  the  patentee,  and  ROBEBTS  BROS,  the  contractors. 


590  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

PANY,"  and  "THE  TITUSVILLE  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY." 
Besides,  there  are  many  others  of  less  capacity — ADAM  GOOD'S 
Brass  Foundry  and  Machine  Shop,  being  among  those  de- 
serving special  mention.  In  addition  to  these  noted  industries, 
TITUSVILLE  has  eight  or  ten  Oil  Refineries,  involving  the  employ- 
ment of  a  large  amount  t)f  capital,  and  hundreds  of  operatives.  Its 
Hotel  accommodations  are  second  to  no  town  or  city  in  Western 
Pennsylvania.  It  has  an  Opera  Hpuse,  which,  for  size  and 
beauty,  is  not  excelled  in  this  portion  of  the  Commonwealth. 

TITUSVILLE  has  two  Railways  entering  her  limits — "  The  Oil 
Creek  &  Allegany  River  Railway  " — connecting  with  the  Atlantic 
&  Great  Western  Railway  at  Union  and  Corry — and  at  the  latter 
point,  with  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie  Road,  East  and  West,  and 
with  the  Cross  Cut,  or  Buffalo,  Corry  &  Pittsburgh  Railroad  to 
Brockton,  on  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad. 

"  The  Warren  &  Venango  Road,"  terminates  at  TITUSVILLE  at 
present — connecting  that  city  with  Warren,  Pa.,  and  with  Dun- 
kirk, N.  Y.,  on  the  Erie,  and  Lake  Shore  Road.  This  Road  has  its 
prospective  terminus  at  Oil  City,  and  the  road-bed  is  nearly  com- 
pleted to  that  point. 

TITUSVILLE  has  all  the  advantages  and  attractions  of  a  growing 
Western  city.  It  has  wealth,  enterprise,  industry,  thrift,  and  a 
"  go-ahead,"  about  her  citizens,  that  will  bring  prosperity  and  con- 
tinued growth  as  surely  as  day  succeeds  night. 


PLEASANTVILLE,  VENANGO  COUNTY,  PA. 
THIS  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  prosperous  towns  of  the 
upper  Oil  Region.  Situated  on  the  high  land,  overlooking  the 
country  for  miles  in  every  direction,  PLEASANTVILLE  is  a  beauti- 
ful interior  village  of  two  to  three  thousand  inhabitants,  six  miles 
east  of  Titusville.  The  streets  are  wide,  and  are  laid  out  regu- 
larly, beautified  by  substantial  private  residences,  not  costly  or 
luxurious,  if  we  except  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  better  class  of  struc- 


CITIES  AND   TOWNS.  591 

tures  of  this  character,  but  are  home-like,  substantial,  and  inviting. 
Every  street  in  the  village  is  a  model  of  neatness  and  order^ 

PLEASANTVILLE  has  half  a  dozen  brick  blocks,  devoted  to  the 
purposes  of  trade  and  business.  It  has  two  Banking  Institutions  of 
financial  solidity,  Churches,  an  Opera  House,  and  first-class  hotels, 
ample  for  all  the  public  requirements.  In  the  midst  of  an  oil  pro- 
ducing region  not  yet  exhausted,  and  surrounded  by  an  agricultural 
territory  second  to  no  village  in  the  upper  Oil  Country,  PLEA- 
SANTVILLE will  have  sure  prosperity  and  steady  growth  for  years 
to  come. 


MILLER  FARM,  PIONEER,  PETROLEUM  CENTRE,  COLUMBIA, 
TARR  FARM,  RYND  FARM,  and  KOUSEVILLE,  were  once  busy 
oil  centres,  with  large  populations.  They  each  have,  even  now, 
their  attractions,  and  are  all  located  in  the  valley  of  Oil  Creek,  be- 
tween Titusville  and  Oil  City,  on  the  line  of  the  Oil  Creek  and 
Allegany  Eiver  Railroad.  PETROLEUM  CENTRE  and  ROUSEVILLE 
may  be  said  to  retain  much  of  their  early  thrift  and  later  enter- 
prise, being  surrounded  by  good  producing  territory.  PETROLEUM 
CENTRE  is  perhaps  the  most  important  point,  located  in  the  midst 
of  productive  oil  farms,  and  yet  a  shipping  station  of  note.  It  has 
two  churches,  a  banking  office,  stores,  machine  shops,  an  opera 
house,  hotels,  &c.,  and  a  population  of  2,000  to  2,500.  It  has 
also  an  excellent  daily  paper,  small,  but  ably  conducted, — "The 
Record"  ROUSEVILLE  has  all  the  advantages  and  conveniences 
of  the  "  Centre,"  including  churches,  banking  offices,  hotels,  and 
an  opera  house, — but  it  has  no  daily  or  weekly  newspaper. 


COLUMBIA,  Story  Farm,  is  a  point  of  considerable  note  and 
importance — being  the  local  habitation  of  one  of  the  best  oil 
companies  in  the  upper  oil  field—"  The  Columbia  Oil  .Co."  It 
has  yet  hundreds  of  acres  of  undeveloped  oil  lands. 


592  HISTOEY    OF    PETROLEUM. 

OIL  CITY,  VENANGO  COUNTY,  PA. 

OIL  CITY  is  located  upon  both  sides  of  the  Allegany  River  and 
Oil  Creek — Venango  City — across  the  Allegany  River— having 
been  added  to  its  corporate  boundaries  a  year  or  more  since,  by 
special  enactment  of  the  Legislature.  The  population  of  the  city, 
with  its  additions,  must  be  7,000  to  8,000. 

"About  twenty  years  prior  to  the  discovery  of  oil,"  or  in  1840 — 
we  quote  a  writer  who  seems  to  know  whereof  he  speaks — "  a  small 
settlement  was  made  on  this  spot,  consisting  of  a  grist  mill,  a  fur- 
nace, hotel,  and  boat  landing,  but  this  soon  fell  into  decay.  In 
1852,  Mr.  JOHN  HOPEWELL  established  a  store,  the  first  settler 
after  him  being  FRANCIS  HALLIDAY,  who  purchased  the  land 
where  the  city  now  stands  from  the  Government.  The  amount  of 
this  purchase  included  several  hundred  acres.  After  a  while,  the 
greater  portion  of  this  tract  was  sold  to  Dr.  JOHN  NEVINS,  who 
again  sold  it  to  PLUMMER  &  DRUM,  of  Franklin.  In  1860,  the 
Michigan  Rock  Oil  Company  became  the  purchasers,  and  by  them 
the  foundation  of  the  present  city  was  first  laid.  The  land  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Creek  was  once,  if  not  now,  owned  by 'the  United  Pe- 
troleum Farms  Association,  of  New  York,  having  been  purchased  by 
them  in  1865,  of  GRAFF,  HASSON  &  Co., — originally  belonged  to 
CORNPLANTER,  the  renowned  Chief  of  the  Seneca  Indians,  a  branch 
of  the  famous  Six  Nations.  Three  hundred  acres  of  this  property 
was  presented  to  the  Chief,  by  Congress,  as  a  reward  for  distin- 
guished services  rendered  by  him  during  the  wars  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. CORNPLANTER,  it  is  alleged,  was  very  fond  of  '  fire-water/ 
and  in  one  of  his  drunken  frolics,  it  is  claimed,  he  sold  this  pro- 
perty for  a  mere  song." 

Soon  after  the  striking  of  DRAKE'S  well  in  1860,  the  town  be- 
gan to  increase  rapidly,  so  much  so  indeed,  that  in  1865,  its  popu- 
lation was  about  8,000.  There  are  eight  or  nine  churches,  a  public 
library,  two  large  school-houses,  several  machine  shops,  three  Re- 
fineries— one  of  which  has  the  largest  Still  capacity  of  any  in  the 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS.  593 

Oil  Region — besides  a  large  number  of  excellent  stores,  well  stocked 
with  every  description  of  goods.  The  town  has  an  ably  conducted 
morning  paper,  The  Oil  Oity  Derrick,  and  a  weekly,  The  Oil  City 
Times,  issued  from  the  office  of  The  Derrick.  A  substantial  iron 
bridge  over  Oil  Creek  unites  the  eastern  and  western  portions  of  the 
city.  The  railroad  bridge  of  the  Atlantic  &  Great  Western  Kail- 
way  crosses  the  Creek  at  its  mouth,  and  a  fine  wooden  bridge 
stretches  over  the  Allegany,  connecting  OIL.  CITY  with  its  recently 
added  territory — Venango  City. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  Oil  business,  OIL  CITY  has  been 
the  principal  shipping  point  of  the  Petroleum  Region.  The  Mead- 
ville  branch  of  the  Atlantic  &  Great  Western  Railway  has  its  ter- 
minus at  OIL  CITY.  The  Oil  Creek  Railroad  runs  through  it, 
having  its  connections  at  Corry  with  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie 
Railroad.  The  Allegany  Valley  Railroad  has  its  terminus  here, 
and  the  Jamestown  Railroad,  (Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern 
Railroad,)  run  trains  into  the  city.  In  addition  to  these  advan- 
tages, the  Allegany  River  and  Oil  Creek,  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  furnish  cheap  means  of  transportation. 

The  amount  of  iron  tankage  at  this  point  is  computed  at  more 
than  a  million  barrels. 

OIL  CITY  has  within  its  limits  a  number  of  small  producing 
wells,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  territory  where  wells,  although  not 
doing  any  thing  very  extraordinary — if  we  except  the  Sage 
Run  developments — are  steadily  pumping  from  one  to  five  bar- 
rels of  oil  a  day.  The  agents  of  many  of  the  largest  refining 
and  exporting  houses  are  stationed  here,  and  an  oil  exchange  has 
been  established  upon  the  principal  street,  which  is  characterized 
by  all  the  bustle  and  anxiety  noticeable  in  similar  places  in  larger 
cities.  With  its  numerous  Railroad  connections  it  may  easily  be 
imagined  that  the  depots  present  a  very  animated  appearance,  and 
the  tracks  seem  always  crowded  with  long  trains  of  tank  cars,  bear- 
ing away  the  precious  oil  to  all  quarters  of  the  country. 

During  the  past  two  years  OIL  CITY  has  added  largely  to  her 
38 


594  HISTOEY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

growing  business  needs,  by  the  addition  of  very  many  splendid  brick 
structures.  Few  cities  in  Western  Pennsylvania  can  boast  more 
substantial  or  more  attractive  blocks  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  than 
OIL  CITY — and  these  are  being  constantly  and  rapidly  added  to. 
Two  or  three  years  of  prosperity  and  enterprise,  like  that  of  the  two 
years  past,  will  go  far  to  make  OIL  CITY  the  chief  town  of  the  Oil 
Region. 

TIONESTA,  FOREST  COUNTY,  PA. 

TIONESTA,  just  above,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Allegany,  is  a 
thriving  village  of  about  eight  hundred  inhabitants,  many  fine  pri- 
yate  residences,  several  stores,  hotels,  and  churches.  It  is  the 
county-seat  of  Forest  county.  A  new  court-house  and  jail  were 
completed  a  few  years  since.  Two  newspapers — The  Journal  and 
The  Press,  representing  each  of  the  political  parties — are  published 
here.  There  is  also  a  banking  office.  Tionesta  Creek  here  de- 
bouches into  the  Allegany. 

TIDIOUTE,  WARREN  COUNTY,  PA. 

TIDIOUTE  is  in  Warren  county,  still  above  Tionesta,  on  the  Alle- 
gany river,  and  is  the  centre  of  an  excellent  oil  producing  region.  It 
is  one"  among  the  oldest  towns  in  this  part  of  Pennsylvania,  is  well 
built,  has  several  churches,  school-houses,  an  opera  house,  hotels, 
stores,  three  banking  offices,  "  Grandin  Bros.  Bank/7  "  People's 
Savings  Bank,"  and  a  private  banking  institution — all  in  excellent 
repute — machine  shops,  and  a  daily  and  weekly  newspaper,  The 
Journal.  It  contains  about  3,000  inhabitants.  At  present,  a  very 
heavy  iron  bridge  is  being  constructed  over  the  Allegany  river  at 
this  point,  to  connect  the  village  with  an  addition  to  its  boundaries. 


TRIUMPH,  FAGUNDAS  and  NEW  LONDON,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Tidioute,  are  emphatically  Oil  Towns,  located  in  the  midst  of 
Oil  Fields  that  have  been  producing  oil  in  abundance,  during  the 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS.  595 

past  four  or  five  years.  TRIUMPH  and  NEW  LONDON  seem  to 
have  an  exhaustless  oil  product,  and  are,  therefore,  the  more  thrifty 
and  prosperous.  Mr.  E.  E.  CLAPP,  of  President,  is  the  principal 
owner  of  the  New  London  oil  territory — Henderson  farm  and 
others — and  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  enterprising  operators  in 
the  upper  oil  region. 


FRANKLIN,  VENANGO  COUNTY,  PA. 

FRANKLIN  is  the  county  seat  of  Venango  county,  and  is  situa- 
ted at  the  junction  of  French  creek  with  the  Allegany  river,  an'd 
on  the  west  side  of  the  latter.  The  present  town  was  laid  out  in 
1795,  by  General  William.  Irvine  and  Andrew  Ellicott,  who  were 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  State,  under  Act  of  Assembly  to  se- 
lect a  site  for  the  county  town.  Having  been  chosen,  Franklin, 
was  laid  out  in  what  was  then  known  as  in-lots,  out-lots  and  out- 
tracts.  The  town  was  first  organized  into  a  borough,  in  1829, 
Judge  William  Connelly  being  selected  as  Burgess.  Franklin  re- 
ceived its  chief  impetus  from  the  Petroleum  excitement,  and  is  now 
a  substantial  city,  with  a  steady  growth,  and  has  a  population  of 
6,000  to  7,000. 

The  streets  are  broad  and  well  paved,  and  the  principal  business 
houses  are  located  in  elegant  blocks  of  brick  buildings.  TJbe  resi- 
dences of  the  well-to-do  inhabitants  are  very  handsome,  and  remark- 
able for  the  care  and  tastefulness  with  which  the  grounds  are  laid 
out  in  gardens  and  ornamental  shrubberies.  Theie  are  in  the  town 
several  machine  shops,  two  or  three  foundries  and  one  large  flouring 
mill.  A  new  and  very  elegant  and  commodious  court-house  has 
lately  been  completed,  which  is  of  red  brick  with  brown  stone 
facings.  This  edifice  would  contrast  favorably  with  many  of  the 
public  buildings  in  more  pretentious  cities.  The  school-house,  not 
far  distant,  is  also  a  handsome  structure,  capable  of  accommodating 
1,000  children.  There  are  churches  of  almost,  avery 


696  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

tion,  several  private  schools  and  two  weekly  newspapers,  The 
Spectator  and  The  Citizen. 

On  the  high  ground  opposite  the  city,  upon  the  banks  of  French 
Creek,  several  wells  have  been  put  down,  some  of  which  started  out 
with  a  yield  of  as  much  as  one  hundred  barrels  per  day.  This 
fact,  of  course,  soon  became  known,  and  the  hill-side  is  now  literal- 
ly bristling  with  derricks.  The  oil  found  in  this  neighborhood  is 
of  more  than  ordinary  quality,  almost  all  of  it  being  known  as  lu- 
bricating oil,  and  the  wells  along  French  Creek  are  almost  all 
yielding  fairly.  On  the  Allegany  side,  on  the  contrary,  the  yield 
is  small,  and  a  great  number  of  dry  wells  may  be  seen  scattered 
about.  (See  chapter  on  Lubricating  Oil.) 

Two  Lubricating  Oil  Manufactories  are  located  here,  employing 
a  capital  of  $300,000  to  $400,000.  These  distil  nine-tenths  of 
the  lubricating  oils  produced  in  the  vicinity  of  Franklin. 

Franklin  has  three  or  four  banks  and  banking  institutions,  am- 
ple hotel  accommodations,  an  Opera  House,  and  very  many  elegant 
and  commodious  stores  and  warehouses.  The  Meadville  Branch 
of  the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  Railway  passes  through  the  city 
limits,  as  does  also  the  Jamestown  and  Franklin  road.  The  Alle- 
gany Valley  Railway  is  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  a  mile 
from  the  business  centre  of  the  city, — and  all  three  of  these  rail- 
ways have  depots  for  the  conveniences  of  passengers  and  freight. 


FOSTER  STATION,  and  SCRUBGRASS,  are  points  of  importance, 
and  are  located  still  further  down  the  Allegany  River.  FOSTER, 
is  an  oil  producing  and  shipping  point,  and  beyond  this  has  few 
advantages.  SCRUBGRASS  has  an  oil  field,  and  two  or  three  years 
ago,  boasted  a  prolific  yield.  It  has  a  railway  eating-house,  and  is 
a  point  of  some  importance  for  shipping  oil.  The  village  may 
have  &  population  of  300  to  500. 


CITIES  AND   TOWNS.  597 

EMLENTON,  CLARION  COUNTY,  PA. 
EMLENTON  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  this  part  of  the  State. 
It  was  a  lumbering  center  years  before  the  discovery  of  oil.  Its 
rapid  growth  dates  from  the  oil  developments  of  the  lower  oil 
field,  since  1865-6.  It  has  a  population  of  2,000  to  3,000,  with 
churches,,  elegant  public  school  buildings,  hotels,  stores,  and  a 
weekly  newspaper,,  published  by  that  veteran  journalist,  J.  R. 
JOHNS.  EMLENTON  is  seven  or  eight  miles  above  Foxburg,  on 
the  Allegany  river,  and  on  the  line  of  the  A.  V.  Railroad.  It  is 
an  oil  shipping  point  of  importance. 


FULLERTON,  three  miles  above  Foxburg,  is  an  oil-shipping 
station  for  the  St.  Petersburg  district  and  points  contiguous  to 
FULLERTON,  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  The  tankage  capacity 
here  must  be  fifty  to  seventy-five  thousand  barrels. 


598  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


THE  LOWER  OIL  FIELDS. 


PAKKEB/S  LANDING,  ARMSTRONG  Co.,  PA. 

'S"  is  the  largest  and  perhaps  the  most  important  town 
in  the  lower  oil  field.  From  this  point  diverge  the  great  develop- 
ments in  oil  which  have  astonished  the  world.  Parker  City  is  the 
base  of  operations,  and  may  justly  be  termed  the  capital  of  the  low- 
er oil  field. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  here  about  seventy-five  years  ago, 
by  JOHN  and  WILLIAM  PARKER,*  and  for  upwards  of  forty  years 
it  continued  to  be  a  small  village  deriving  support  from  an  iron 
furnace  situated  about  half  a  mile  from  town.  This  furnace  was 
established  1825. 

With  the  progress  of  oil  developments,  the  territory  around 
PARKER'S  became  the  scene  of  active  operations,  the  village  as- 
sumed the  importance  of  a  busy,  thriving  town,  possessing  all  the 
advantages  and  disadvantages,  vices  and  virtues,  of  larger  cities, 
known  to  fame.  On  the  1st  of  March,  1873,  the  charter  incorpo- 
rating PARKER'S  LANDING,  Lawrenceburg  and  Farrentown,  (the 
two  latter  suburban  towns,)  into  one  city,  was  signed  by  the  Go- 
vernor of  the  State,  thus  ^consolidating,  under  one  city  government, 
these  three  towns,  which  had  only  been  divided  by  name. 

*  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  WILLIAM  'PAKKER,  the  first  settler,  came  from  the 
North  of  Ireland,  bringing  with  him  the  pluck  and  energy  of  an  Ulster  yeoman,  and 
from  him  are  descended  Parkers,  of  the  firm  of  Parker,  Thompson  &  Co.,  of  Oil 
City,  and  Parker's  Landing. 


THE   LOWER   OIL   FIELDS.  599 

PARKER'S  has  twice  been  visited  by  fire,  and  on  both  occasions 
the  great  bulk  of  the  town  was  swept  away,  but  on  each  occasion  it 
has  re-appeared,  built  up  in  better  shape,  with  increased  dimensions, 
and  more  substantial  buildings.  Many  of  the  lately  erected  build- 
ings are  of  brick,  and  present  tasteful  architectural  features.  The 
city  boasts  a  well  equipped  fire  department,  three  banks,  five  hotels, 
and  two  churches. 

The  Allegany  River  at  PARKER'S  is  spanned  by  an  iron  bridge, 
which  has  cost  $100,000.  On  the  east  side  of  the  river,  oppo- 
site the  city,  is  located  the  Allegany  Valley  R.  R.  depot.  The 
Parker  and  Karns  City  R.  R.,  now  in  course  of  construction,  will 
materially  aid  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  place.  This  road 
runs  along  Bear  Creek  to  Martinsburgh,  thence  to  Petrolia.  It 
will  be  ten  miles  in  length,  three  foot  gauge,  and  will  cost  $150,000. 
It  is  not  unlikely  this  road  will  be  extended  to  Millerstown,  and 
thence  to  Butler. 

PARKER  CITY  is  noted  for  its  men  of  energy  and  liberality — 
here  are  to  be  found  the  men  of  "the  front."  The  city  is  peaceable, 
orderly,  and  well  kept,  being  under  the  government  of  an  active 
and  efficient  city  council. 

The  population  of  PARKER  CITY  is  about  4,000.  The  Oil 
Man's  Journal,  a  weekly  publication,  of  large  circulation,  is  printed 
here,  and  it  is  very  ably  conducted. 


FOXBURGH,  CLARION  Co.,  PA. 

FOXBURGH  is  three  miles  above,  and  upon  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  from  Parker's  Landing.  Less  than  two  and  a  half  years 
ago  there  was  nothing  on  the  sight  of  this  town  but  a  freight  shed, 
belonging  to  the  Allegany  Valley  R.  R.  Now  there  are  at  least 
two  hundred  houses,  and  a  population  of  over  1,000.  It  is  the 
head-quarters  of  the  Mutual  Pipe  Line  Co.,  and  an  immense  freight- 
ing business  is  done  here.  There  is  the  usual  complement  of  banks, 


600  HISTORY   OF   PETROLEUM. 

stores,  etc.,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  the  buildings  are  neater  in 
appearance,  and  far  more  substantial  than  those  seen  in  the  more 
recently  built  oil  towns.  It  is  situated  on  the  Fox  estate,  and  de- 
rives its  name  from  the  former  owner,  now  deceased.  An  iron 
bridge  is  being  constructed  here,  to  span  the  Allegany  River.  Its 
cost  will  be  not  less  than  $100,000,  and  like  that  at  Parker's  Land- 
ing, will  be  the  perfection  of  American  skill  and  mechanism. 


ST.  PETERSBURG,  CLARION  Co.,  PA. 
ST.  PETERSBURG  is  of  considerable  size  and  importance,  and 
lays  claim  to  some  antiquity.  A  small  village  has  existed  here  for 
nearly  fifty  years,  but  previous  to  the  development  of  oil  in  its 
neighborhood,  it  was  almost  unknown.  There  are  now  at  least 
four  hundred  houses,  and  a  population  of  two  thousand  inhabitants. 
The  town  enjoys  many  of  the  advantages  of  larger  places,  having  a 
church,  bank,  and  weekly  newspaper,  named  The  Progress.  In 
September,  1871,  the  Hulings'  Well  was  struck  on  the  J.  J.  Ash- 
baugh  farm,  which  proved  a  100  barrel  well.  From  this  may 
be  dated  the  revival  of  St.  Petersburg.  The  town  is  two  miles 
from  the  Allegany  river,  west  of  Foxburgh. 


PETROLIA,  BUTLER  COUNTY,  PA. 

THE  attention  of  operators  having  been  attracted  to  this  quarter 
in  the  autumn  of  1871,  by  the  striking  of  good  wells  on  the  Sheak- 
ley  farm,  and  subsequently  (April  1872,)  a  strike  made  by  Di- 
mick,  Nesbitt  &  Co.  This  latter  venture  was  attended  with  the 
usual  results,  and  forthwith  began  a  regular  rush  to  the  new  field 
of  operation.  "With  the  first  rig  built,  PETROLIA  was  founded, 
houses  multiplied,  and  ere  long  the  infant  city  presented  all  the 
bustle  and  rush  characteristic  of  sudden  oil  towns.  Wells  continued 
to  be  put  down,  PETROLIA  grew  apace,  and  in  February  of  1872, 


THE  LOWER  OIL  FIELDS.  601 

it  was  incorporated  into  a  borough.  The  town  possesses  a  most 
energetic  population  of  about  1,500.  PETROLIA  justly  ranks  among 
the  most  attractive  and  prosperous  towns  in  North-western  Penn- 
sylvania. 

The  town  is  built  principally  upon  the  Blaney,  Graham,  and 
Jamison  farms,  ftnd  stands  in  a  valley  running  due  north  and 
south.  The  hill  on  the  east  side  commands  a  view  of  Karns  City, 
one  and  a  half  miles  to  the  south,  and  Fairview,  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  to  the  west.  At  night  the  "  belt "  can  be  distinctly  traced 
for  miles  by  the  hundreds  of  gas-lights  which  mark  its  outline. 
New  buildings  are  constantly  being  built.-  At  present  there  is  in 
progress  a  church.  PETROLIA  is  the  central  point  for  a  number 
of  the  Pipe  Lines.  It  has  a  bank,  and  other  institutions  necessary 
for  a  rising  and  prosperous  town.  PETROLIA  utilizes  the  gas  from 
the  Fairview  gas  wells.  It  is  supplied  to  many  of  the  Jjpuses,  and 
illuminates  the  streets. 


FAIRVIEW,  BUTLER  COUNTY,  PA. 

FAIRVIEW  is  situated  one  mile  south  of  Petrolia,  on  a  command- 
ing position,  affording  a  delightful  prospect  of  the  country  for  miles 
around,  from  which  circumstance  the  place  derived  its  name.  FAIR- 
VIEW  is  of  old  date,  a  settlement  having  established  itself  here  some 
seventy  years  ago,  when  the  country  around  was  nothing  but  a  howl- 
ing wilderness.  Most  of  the  buildings  are  located  on  one  street, 
and  generally  present  the  appearance  of  considerable  age. 

FAIRVIEW  has  one  good  hotel,  a  tavern  or  two,  one  bank,  a 
church  and  school-house,  and  numbers  in  population  about  800. 


ARGYLE,  BUTLER  COUNTY,  PA. 

ARGYLE  is  a  suburb  of  Petrolia.     It  took  its  rise  from  a  well 
put  down  in  the  fall  of  '71.     At  its  best  it  had  600  inhabitants. 


602  HISTORY  OP  PETROLEUM. 

two  hotels,  two  hardware  stores  and  one  or  two  machine  shops. 
ARGYLE  is  but  a  wreck  of  its  former  self,  and  is  a  sad  comment  on 
the  changeable  character  of  our  new  petroleum  towns. 


KARNS  CITY,  BUTLER  Co.,  PA. 

CITY  is  about  fifteen  months  old,  pleasantly  situated  on 
a  large  plateau  of  ground  about  a  mile  long,  and  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  broad.  Prior  to  the  oil  excitement,  the  site  of  KARNS  CITY 
presented  nothing  to  distinguish  it  from  the  average  of  farming 
lands.  The  McClymonds'  homestead  and  an  old  saw-mill  were  its 
chief  erections.  The  first  well  here  was  struck  in  June,  1872,  and 
the  second  in  September,  and  from  the  later  period  the  place  con- 
tinued to  improve  rapidly.  At  the  present  time  it  has  a  population 
of  about  1,000  inhabitants.  A  number  of  important  business 
houses  have  established  branches  at  this  point.  There  are  three 
large  hotels — the  Erfipire  House,  Apollo  House,  and  Exchange 
Hotel — one  bank,  and  the  customary  number  of  business  houses  of 
all  varieties.  The  town  is  named  in  honor  of  S.  D.  Karns,  Esq., 
a  fortunate  and  extensive  operator. 


BUENA  VISTA,  BUTLER  Co.,  PA. 

Four  miles  south  of  Petrolia,  on  the  road  to  Greece  City,  is  the 
rising  hamlet  of  BUENA  VISTA.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  at  the 
intersection  of  roads  leading  in  all  directions.  A  settlement  has 
«  'ted  here  for  at  least  sixty  years.  It  has  a  Post  Office,  two  ta- 
verns, and  the  usual  supply  of  tradesmen.  The  population  is 
about  400. 


GREECE  CITY,  BUTLER  Co.,  PA. 

A  little  less  than  fourteen  months  since,  GREECE  CITY  had  nei- 
ther "a  locale  nor  a  name."      On  the  24th  of  August,  1872,  the 


THE   LOWER  OIL  FIELDS.  603 

first  well  was  struck  on  the  Jamison  farm,  and  early  in  September 
the  first  building  made  its  appearance  in  what  is  now  GREECE 
CITY.  GREECE  rose  rapidly — and  fell  with  the  same  speed.  It 
had,  at  the  height  of  its  glory,  about  1,200  inhabitants,  and  has 
now  four  or  five  hotels,  three  banks,  and  the  full  variety  of  stores. 
The  "  city  "  is  fast  disappearing  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  Morrison  well  at  this  place  is  the  second  largest  yet  struck — 
so  far  as  the  productive  value  is  concerned — having  at  the  present 
date  produced  $90,000  worth  of  oil,  and  still  continues  to  produce 
fifteen  barrels  of  oil  per  day 


BUTLER,  BUTLER  COUNTY,  PA. 

The  first  settlement  of  whites  in  what  is  now  Butler  county,  was 
made  in  1796,  when  the  four  families  of  Harbison,  Holt,  Fulton, 
and  Kennedy,  located  in  Middlesex  township.  The  town  is  plea- 
santly situated,  and  the  surrounding  country  is  rich  in  soil  and  mi- 
neral products.  BUTLER  is  laid  out  with  tolerable  regularity— the 
streets  being  intersected  at  right-angles,  and  possessing  ample  width. 
A  large  proportion  of  the  buildings  are  of  brick,  and  the  side- walks 
paved  with  the  same  material.  Iron  furnaces  once  existed  here,  to 
which  is  due  much  of  the  growth  of  the  town.  It  was  made  a  borough 
in  1817.  The  first  Court  House  was  built  in  1807— the  present 
building  in  1853.  The  church  (Presbyterian)  was  built  in  1822. 

With  the  advance  of  oil  developments  around  its  vicinity,  BUT- 
LER has  taken  a  step  in  advance.  New  buildings  are  being  erected, 
and  all  branches  of  business  have  become  stimulated.  A  number 
of  wells  are  now  going  down  in  the  BUTLER  district}  upon  which 
the  further  advance  of  the  town  for  the  present  depends.  BUTLER 
is  a  well-ordered  town,  possessing  all  the  necessary  adjuncts  to  civi- 
lization, such  as  a  court-house,  jail,  churches,  school-houses,  two 
newspapers,  &c.  It  has  now  a  population  of  5,000. 


604  HISTOBY  OF   PETROLEUM. 

MILLERSTOWN,  BUTLEE  COUNTY,  PA. 

A  village  has  existed  here  for  upwards  of  half  a  century — and 
previous  to  the  advent  of  the  derrick  and  drill,  presented  that 
dead-and-alive  appearance  common  to  towns  situated  at  considera- 
ble distances  from  railway  connections,  manufacturing  or  mining 
industries.  Its  silent  streets  wore  a  Sunday  aspect.  It  lived  in 
quiet  peace,  and  could  boast  of  a  couple  of  taverns,  a  number  of 
stores,  tradesmen's  shops,  a  church,  school-house,  and  less  than  two 
hundred  men,  women,  and  children.  Many  of  the  dwellings  gave 
evidence  that  the  owners  were*well-to-do,  as  they  presented  a  com- 
fortable appearance. 

In  March  of  the  present  year,  the  first  well — "  The  Shreve  " — 
was  struck,  which  gave  ample  proof  of  the  value  of  the  MILLEES- 
TOWN  territory,  and  so  attracted  many  of  our  operators.  MIL- 
LERSTOWN  soon  became  crowded  with  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
Region.  New  wells  were  struck— and  with  each  strike  the  town 
swelled  in  population  and  importance.  At  the  present  writing  it 
has  two  banks,  two  Pipe  Line  offices,  four  hotels,  four  livery  sta- 
bles,' a  number  of  hardware  and  drug  stores,  and  some  six  or  seven 
grocery  and  dry  goods  houses,  and  has  a  population  of  2,000  to  2,500. 
The  town,  as  it  now  stands,  is  well  built,  and  has  the  look  of  perma- 
nence. It  is  situated  on  a  side-elevation  overlooking  the  valley,  and 
is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  and  fertile  farming  country — its  count- 
less hills  and  dales  forming  a  picturesque  landscape  of  rare  beauty. 
The  Sand  Pump — a  daily  newspaper — is  published  here. 


BRADY'S  BEND  AND  EAST  BRADY. 

The  Rolling  Mills  at  BKADY'S  BEND  have  been  in  existence  for 
about  fifty  years.  Their  full  capacity  gives  employment  to  800 
men.  At  the  present  time  there  are  about  500  men  at  work.  The 
town  is  situated  on  Sugar  Creek,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  Alle- 


THE  LOWER  OIL   FIELDS.  605 

gany  river,  and  has  six  churches  built  by  the  miners  and 
mill  men. 

EAST  BEADY  has  a  population  of  nearly  1,500.  There  are  five 
hotels  and  one  church,  one  machine  shop  and  foundry,  a  number 
of  groceries  and  dry  goods  houses,  and  three  schools.  There  is  a 
large  amount  of  freight  business  done  here  on  the  Allegany  Valley 
Railroad,  consequent  upon  the  opening  up  of  the  Oil  districts  of 
Modoc  and  Millerstown. 

EAST  BRADY  has  a  weekly  paper — The  Independent — which 
enjoys  a  large  circulation — Col.  YOUNG,  one  of  the  live  men  of  the 
profession  of  Journalism,  being  its  editor  and  proprietor. 


MODOC,  BUTLER  COUNTY,  PA. 

Scarcely  a  year  has  elapsed  since  the  success  of  operations  a  short 
distance  north  of  Greece  City,  also  in  Concord  township,  attracted 
the  attention  of  enterprising  operators  to  an  uninviting  tract  of 
land  about  midway  between  the  many  roads  leading  to  Fairview 
and  Buena  Vista  respectively.  The  property  was  secured,  and  the 
spot  chosen  on  which  to  put  down  a  well.  The  place  was  low  and 
forbidding  in  its  appearance,  surrounded  with  a  dense  growth  of 
underbrush,  having  a  small  run  and  extended  ravine  contiguous, 
and  in  no  respect  possessing  any  natural  features  likely  to  please 
an  aesthetic  taste.  Neither  did  it  seem  destined  to  reward  the 
adventurers  with  abundance  of  the  greasy  fluid  of  which  they  were 
in  search,  as  the  "  belt "  was  generally  believed  to  run  in  a  direc- 
tion that  would  leave  the  entire  locality  completely  "  out  in  the 
cold."  A  rig  was  put  up  during  the  fall  and  winter,  drilling 
quietly  went  on,  and  on  the  twenty-second  of  last  March  the 
biggest  strike  since  "sixty-five,"  was  announced  to  the  outside 
world.  Such  was  the  origin  of  the  renowned  Troutman  Well, 
the  most  prolific  yet  discovered  south  of  Oil  Creek. 

At  the  outset,  the  new  "  spouter "  actually  flowed  at  the  enor- 
mous rate  of  over  a  thousand  barrels  per  diem.     It  was  only  three 


606  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEU^. 

feet  in  the  third  sand,  and  the  tools  were  left  suspended  in  the  hole 
for  greater  convenience  in  agitating  the  well  occasionally.  It  re- 
quired two  pipes  to  convey  the  product  from  the  casing  to  the 
tanks,  of  which  a  number  were  provided  in  the  quickest  manner 
known  to  the  business.  The  owners  of  the  big  strike  were  William 
"Vandegrift,  Joseph  Bushnell,  Warden  and  Bostwick,  who  had 
likewise  secured  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
For  weeks  the  "geyser"  continued  to  flow  without  serious  dimi- 
nution, frequently  giving  the  pipe  line  lively  exercise  to  convey 
the  oil  to  Greece  City,  exactly  three  miles  distant.  Up  to  this 
date,  it  has  yielded  nearly  ninety  thousand  barrels  of  petroleum, 
thus  ranking  it  with  the  most  productive  wells  ever  struck  in  any 
portion  of  Oildom. 

The  great  success  of  this  venture  was  attended  with  the  result 
that  has  invariably  followed  in  such  cases.  Operators  and  specu- 
lators flocked  to  the  latest  Oil-Dorado,  intent  on  acquiring  some 
interest  in  the  neighborhood.  Rigs  multiplied  rapidly,  and  the 
nucleus  of  a  town  appeared  as  if  by  magic.  The  Starr  and  the 
Button  farms,  below  the  Troutman  property,  were  generally  con- 
sidered with  special  favor,  and  upon  these  a  village  was  at  once 
located.  Building  lots  were  staked  off  that  found  ready  purchasers 
or  lessees  at  high  figures,  balloon  houses  were  quickly  erected  along 
both  sides  of  the  principal  street,  even  the  fearful  condition  of  the 
roads  did  not  deter  crowds  from  seeking  this  second  Pit  Hole, 
and  within  a  month  a  town  bristling  with  business  of  every 
description  occupied  the  vacant  fields  of  four  weeks  before.  The 
embryo  city  received  an  Indian  epithet,  and  henceforth  Modoc  be- 
came a  familiar  name  in  petroleum  circles.  Many  oleaginous  sages 
wisely  shook  their  heads  at  the  spectacle  of  activity  everywhere  pre- 
sented. 

MODOC,  now  contains  one  leading  hotel,  two  or  three  hardware 
stores,  a  dozen  groceries,  a  livery  stable,  two  banks,  and  a  score  of 
unlicensed  local-option  dispensaries.  The  place  is  built  without 
special  regard  to  architectural  arrangement,  its  appearance  and  sur- 


THE   LOWER   OIL   FIELDS.  607 

roundings  are  decidedly  picturesque,  and  the  newest  tyro  would  not 
be  long  in  discovering  he  had  "  fetched  up  "  in  a  genuine  oil  city  ! 
With  the  exception  of  the  three  old  homesteads  of  the  Troutman, 
Starr  and  Sutton  farms,  everything  about  the  town  is  of  the  mod- 
ern date  of  the  present  season.  The  muddy  streets  are  crowded 
with  travelers  from  all  quarters,  and  no  one  who  has  not  visited 
Modoc  can  be  said  to  have  "  done  "  the  specimen  oil  town  of  the 
period. 


ANGELICA. 

This  village  or  town,  named  after  C.  D.  Angell,  "  the  lord  of 
the  soil,"  has  an  existence  of  only  a  few  months,  and  yet  it  has  at- 
tained considerable  proportions.  Active  developments  are  being 
pushed  on  in  the  neighborhood,  and  no  doubt  this  village  will  soon 
aspire  to  the  title  of  city. 


Such  is  a  brief  description  of  the  principal  cities  and  towns, 
large  and  small,  located  in  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region.  Before 
the  oil  discovery  by  Col.  DRAKE,  in  1859,  the  older  towns  were 
generally  farming  or  lumbering  centres,  and  owe  their  growth  to 
the  Petroleum  development.  The  number  of  cities  projected  by 
sanguine  speculators  in  the  flush  times  of  1864  and  1865,  were  le- 
gion. Beyond  a  few  board  shanties,  in  hopeless  decay,  nothing  now 
remains  of  them. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


JUL171953LA 
LIBRARY  USE 


REC'D  LD 

JAN  1 6  1962 

LD  21-95m-ll,'50(2877sl6)476 


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